Israel Adesanya, who used to be a fan of Jon Jones before becoming a long-time agitator, has expressed his regret for the former UFC lightweight champion.
It’s no secret that Adesanya and Jones’ rivalry, exclusively broadcast on traditional and social media, is one of the fiercest in the sport. Jones’ extensive litany of legal misdeeds and personal troubles have often been attractive fuel for Adesanya, who has regularly flung cruel remarks at him.
When Jones got arrested in October of last year for allegedly abusing his fiancée—charges subsequently dropped as part of a plea deal—Adesanya had a field day, routinely tweeting to add salt to Jones’ wounds. In February, when a video of Jones’ arrest surfaced, showing the 34-year-old headbutting a police car, Adesanya didn’t hold back in his criticism.
Israel Adesanya claims he now feels sorry for Jon Jones.
It wasn’t long ago that it appeared as though the Adesanya-Jones feud would be resolved in the Octagon. However, with Jones scheduled to make his heavyweight debut later this year, the pair’s connection is likely to be confined to the Twittersphere for the foreseeable future. There’s also the possibility of making an appearance on a podcast.
Making an appearance on Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson, Adesanya has once again expressed his thoughts on Jones’ recent troubles, but this time in an unexpectedly sympathetic manner. Jones’ arrest in 2020, which was filmed on police bodycam, was when “Stylebender” began to feel sorry for the highly acclaimed MMA GOAT.
“There was a clip like this of him getting arrested talking to the officer on a first-name basis,” said Adesanya. “And I remember just thinking—I was like, ‘Man, I felt sorry for him.’”
Israel also addressed Jones’ recent arrest for allegedly beating his fiancée, stating that it wasn’t the first time he had done it.
“So this was the one that was recent after he got inducted into the Hall of Fame and then went back to his hotel room, apparently, and (hit) his fiancée,” said Adesanya. “And his daughter had to go downstairs with her mom and be like, ‘Call the cops.’ Imagine that. You know that’s not the first time that’s happened.”
Despite publicly chastising Jones for the domestic assault incident, Adesanya stated he is reluctant to discuss it because he was once a fan of Jones. That fandom, has evolved into rivalry through the years, and now it’s just pity for Jones and his untapped potential.
“And [GROANS] it’s yuck, man,” continued Adesanya. “It’s yuck having to even speak on this because he’s a guy that when he first came up, I remember watching him at UFC 94 he fought Stephen Bonnar, and was the first time I saw him fight on a pay-per-view live and I was like, ‘Yo, this guy’s special. I was a fan of him, and he was a fan of me until he realized he wanted to fight me.
“And then, he became not a fan and we had this beef for a while and the fight never transpired—yet—but then, when I see shit like this—even this one, I’m empathetic. I’m a human being. I’m like, ‘Man, what a waste. What a waste of potential.’”
