Jon Jones Says He Has No Interest In Fighting Israel Adesanya
One person who wants to face Jones is UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya, but Jones says he has no interest in facing Adesanya.
“Honestly, I have no interest in Israel, at the end of the day,” Jones said during a UFC 247 media event (via Damon Martin of MMA Fighting). “Anderson Silva was a guy everyone wanted to see me fight and I never wanted to do it because I had so much respect for Anderson. I feel the same way with Izzy but it’s not coming from a place of respect. It’s like my career isn’t based around fighting him. Him to fight me, it would be huge for his resume. But for me, I feel like I already have so many legends under my resume but he’s not even a legend.”
Jones has shown interest in moving up to heavyweight, which would possibly eliminate any potential bout with Adesanya.
Adesanya has become a pretty big draw in the country of Australia, but Jones says he would be a bigger draw in Australia when compared to the middleweight champion.
“If I can possibly break numbers here in Houston, I can only imagine what could happen if I went to Australia or one of these other countries where they never expect to see me,” Jones said. “I think the people would come out and that’s what it’s about. Giving love, sharing it. [Adesanya] is [a big draw in Australia’. I bet I’d be an even bigger [draw].”
UFC 247 takes place tomorrow night from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas with Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
