Israel Adesanya couldn’t help but laugh at Indiana Pacers’ power forward James Johnson for claiming that he could beat UFC’s undisputed heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.
The NBA star substantiated his claim by boasting of a 27-0 record in kickboxing and MMA. Now that’s some claim. Think of it, that’s only two wins shy of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Then again, putting things into perspective with a dash of reality, Johnson’s opponents would certainly have not been accomplished pros, or of the quality of even the weakest of fighters in the UFC.
Former UFC champion Adesanya came across this statement from the Pacers baller and was shocked.
“I see red bro!”
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Now, Johnson could have been a decent fighter, wherever and whatever level he fought, given his athletic abilities. If he had called out an up-and-coming fighter in the organization, it would still make sense. After all, if CM Punk could fight in the UFC, Johnson can too.
But calling out one of the GOAT contenders, and the man who holds the UFC heavyweight title, falls in the realm of self-harm, especially since we know what Jones does to his opponents in the octagon.
‘The Last Stylbender‘, much like many who commented on Johnson’s statement, know how that ‘fight’ would turn out to be.
Izzy has been a busy man though, taking a stance for defending his ‘friends from work’, besides Jones.
Adesanya defends Poatan from a fan
Izzy was at an expo filming a YouTube video when a young fan approached him to take a picture. Adesanya, ever a man of the people, took some time out to hug the kid and speak to him.
Out of the blue, the fan called out Adesanya’s old rival, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Despite their storied rivalry, Izzy was quick to defend Poatan.
“Nah, he’s all good… Show him his respect he’s really good. I beat him already, so you could be a fan.”
Adesanya and Pereira have been at each other since their days at Glory Kickboxing. The flames were stoked when news surfaced about a mysterious kickboxer from Brazil who had KO’d Izzy, who was by then the middleweight champion in the UFC. Naturally, the news went viral. The Kiwi responded with bitterness, claiming it was some dude sitting at a bar, looking at him on TV and bragging about beating him once.
This riled up Pereira, who not only found his way to the UFC months later but also defeated Adesanya for his middleweight title.
Izzy got his revenge soon by knocking him out at UFC 287. However, the Brazilian’s career has well and truly taken off from there.
He moved up to light heavyweight and became the undisputed champion. Pereira has already defended the title thrice in a year. And if he accepts the Ankalaev fight in December, it will be his record-breaking fourth!
