Israel Adesanya laughs off with a four-word warning as NBA star James Johnson claims he could beat Jon Jones in an MMA fight
Israel Adesanya does not believe James Johnson's claim about beating Jon Jones. The Indiana Pacers star recently took part in an interview on The OGs podcast, where he made the claim that he could beat Jones, one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, in a fight.
Johnson is known for claiming to have a 20-0 kickboxing record, as well as a shorter, but similarly unbeaten, run in MMA. Neither claim can be verified, but he maintains that his striking is superior to Jones' and that with some wrestling training, he would be able to beat him.
"I truly, truly believe that [I could beat Jon Jones]. I'm not just... like I said, I've been doing this my whole life. Like, real training would really be for that groundwork. As far as standing up in a fight, I feel like I got an advantage."
Check out James Johnson's claim below:
Naturally, this drew reactions from many. So, when Sportscenter shared the clip on Instagram, many flocked to the comment section to offer their thoughts on Johnson's bold claim, including Adesanya, a former UFC middleweight champion.
"I see red bro!"
Jones is arguably the greatest fighter of all time, while Johnson has no notable combat sports achievements. Even if his claimed kickboxing and MMA records were valid, he wouldn't be the first undefeated phenom Jones has ever faced in his lengthy career.
After all, 'Bones' has beaten Daniel Cormier and Ryan Bader, both of whom were undefeated wrestlers at the time. Moreover, he also handed Dominick Reyes, a then-unbeaten striker, his first-ever loss, and 'The Devastator' was never the same thereafter.
Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones have patched things up
At one point, Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones were bitter rivals, with trash talk being a frequent feature of their contentious relationship. They even seemed to be on a collision course, but a matchup never came to fruition. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and they have since improved their dynamic.
Check out the friendly interaction between Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones:
The two men even crossed paths not long ago, which led to a conversation that ended their long feud, such that Adesanya now comes to Jones' defense on social media.