Israel Adesanya details how he went from being a fan of Jon Jones to feeling 'sorry' for him
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Israel Adesanya revealed how he went from admiring Jon Jones to feeling sorry for him during an episode of Hotboxin' With Mike Tyson.
The reigning UFC middleweight champion said he pitied Jones after seeing footage of an intoxicated 'Bones' getting arrested in Las Vegas. Adesanya told Tyson:
"There's a clip like this of him getting arrested, talking to the officer on a first name basis. I remember just thinking, I was like, 'Man, I feel sorry for him.'"
However, Adesanya admitted that he used to regard Jones with reverence. Speaking about how he grew disillusioned with being a fan of Jones, 'The Last Stylebender' explained:
"It's yuck! It's yuck even having to speak on this. He's a guy that when he first came up, I remember watching him at UFC 94. He fought Stephan Bonnar and that was the first time I saw him fight on pay-per-view live. I was like, 'Yo this guy is special.' I was a fan of him and he was a fan of me till I 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 sh** like this, even this one. When I saw this I felt like I'm emphatetic. I'm human being, you know. I'm like, 'Man, what a waste of potential.' Also the fact that he's been popped for steroids how many f***ing times."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on Jon Jones:
Israel Adesanya still wants to fight Jon Jones
Israel Adesanya is still interested in fighting Jon Jones somewhere down the line. The two future Hall of Famers have been at odds and have been combative with each other on social media.
At one point, it was heavily rumored that a Jones vs. Adesanya superfight was in the works, although nothing ever came of it.
For what it's worth, 'The Last Stylebender' said he still wants to fight Jones even if he believes he doesn't necessarily need to. During an interview with TMZ Sports, the Nigerian-born Kiwi said:
"I don’t need it, but I do want it. I don’t need it, though, that’s the thing. People think I need that for my legacy. Nah, I’m good where I’m at."
Check out Israel Adesanya's interview below: