Israel Adesanya Says Jon Jones Knows He’s A Threat

Israel Adesanya recently became the UFC Interim Middleweight Champion after defeating Kelvin Gastelum in the co-main event of UFC 236.

The newly crowned title holder says that UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones knows that he is a threat.

“Jon Jones, he literally just reminds me of what I’ve hated most in life, and that’s bullies,” Adesanya said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show (via Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie). “I’ve had them through high school, coming up. Literally he’s a jock, he’s a cock, and he’s a (expletive). He’s picking the right time. He’s a smart boy. He knows I’m a challenge. Jon Jones likes to look for challenges because there’s a reason. He’s started all this. He’s the one that came out openly (after UFC 234 in February) and called me out and said, ‘I’d like to fight Israel Adesanya.’ He knows I’m a threat. But guess what, I’ve said this for so long: If you want to beat me, do it yesterday. Every (expletive) fight I get better. I get better every fight. So if he wants to try to take me out early on when he knows I’m only a year in the UFC, and I’m still learning.”

Adesanya recently said he was going G.O.A.T. hunting and that Jones was the G.O.A.T.

While Adesanya has his sights set on Jones, other fighters in the middleweight division have also caught the attention of the interim champion.

“He’s trying to jump the gun and get me out early,” Adesanya said. “That’s (expletive) up. I’ve got ‘Jacare’ (Souza), (Yoel) Romero and other middleweights I’ve got to get through. Hopefully if ‘Jacare’ gets through ‘The Joker’ (Jack Hermansson), and I get through Robert, that’ll be the fight. I’ve got all these guys to get past.”

Jones is booked to fight Thiago Santos at UFC 239 and Adesanya has a future date with UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker, so a potential super fight between the two may not come together too fast.