Online beef long squashed, Israel Adesanya names Jon Jones in his MMA Mount Rushmore and explains why he's "hard to deny" as P4P No. 1 fighter
It was not that long ago that Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones put their bitter feud to rest. Now, 'The Last Stylebender' has hailed Jones for his accomplishments, revealing that he regards the latter as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and even includes him in his personal MMA Mount Rushmore.
The statement was made during his UFC Saudi Arabia media day interview, during which a media member asked him about his top five greatest fighters of all time. Adesanya ran down the list of the usual names that pop up in such conversations but did not explicitly say who is the GOAT.
"Mount Rushmore, I'll give you, again, Demetrious [Johnson], Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, I'll say Conor [McGregor] cause of the impact he had in the game, and I wanna put 'GSP' [Georges St-Pierre] up there as well just cause of the champion he was in and out of the octagon. But again, that can switch."
While the former UFC middleweight champion confessed to his MMA Mount Rushmore being ever-changing, he later took part in a discussion about the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. When asked by a reporter to choose between Islam Makhachev and 'Bones', he was firm.
"F*ck... Jon Jones walks out of the room, I don't know. I think Jon Jones is the guy because again, longevity, what I'm saying, longevity. Staying on top for this long, I had a long reign as a champ, and he's done it now in two weight classes. So, it'll be hard to deny him as the greatest of all time. But yeah, ask Dana [White]. Dana will tell you."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (15:00):
Adesanya's reverence for Jones is a massive U-turn from their historical beef. However, the pair became friendlier with each other in 2023, ultimately bringing an end to their once-mutual hostility.
Israel Adesanya is on a rough patch
Israel Adesanya is at a career crossroads. He is on the poorest run of his all-time great middleweight stint, having gone 1-3 in his last four fights, with particularly stunning championship losses to Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis. Now, he is taking on rising contender Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250.
While Adesanya is now on a two-fight losing streak, Imavov is unbeaten in four fights, with a three-fight win streak and no-contest. 'The Last Stylebender' will look to turn back the clock and score a vintage win in what is his first non-PPV assignment since 2018.