WATCH: Israel Adesanya attempts to takedown Jon Jones during friendly glove-free sparring
Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones ran into each other in Las Vegas and did some light sparring playfully.
'The Last Stylebender' and 'Bones' never liked each other. The pair would start 'beef' and trash talk online any chance they got. However, in May this year when Jones stated that his favorite fighter was Adesanya, their relationship seemed to get better. On July 6, the New Zealand native posted a photo with the heavyweight champion that broke the internet.
He then posted a video of the pair sparring in a playful manner:
"“Apes together strong!” - Caesar"
“Apes together strong!” - Caesar https://t.co/PzAsgulO9Z
The pair were smiling throughout the entire encounter and at one point, Israel Adesanya playfully pointed his index finger towards Jones' eye. The man recording the video, along with both fighters began laughing after the fact. Adesanya even changed levels and shot for a takedown, but 'Bones' was quick to react and grabbed the middleweight champion before countering with hooks.
The entire interaction between the pair has shaken MMA fans who thought, till yesterday that the pair did not like each other one bit. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani also tweeted out talking about how wholesome the moment was and how more fighters in the UFC should follow suit.
The @stylebender x @JonnyBones video has really warmed my heart. I’ve watched it about 20 times. This is the kind of wholesome content we need on any social platform.
Jon Jones posts a photo with Israel Adesanya and squashes the 'beef'
Jon Jones is well known for his trash talk. The heavyweight champion has had some intense rivalries in his UFC career. However, on July 6, he squashed the 'beef' with one of his rivals Israel Adesanya. The pair ran into each other and after taking pictures and shooting videos with each other, 'Bones' took to Instagram to commemorate the new friendship:
"We need more of this! Life’s too short to not be able to squash beef’s and get along with the homie. It was a real pleasure kicking it with middleweight champion @stylebender last night. Wish my man nothing but the best moving forward #respect"
Take a look at the tweet:
Both Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya are champions in their respective divisions. 'The Last Stylebender' won his belt back from Alex Pereira. While Jones beat Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title after spending years trying to move up from the light-heavyweight division to the heavyweight division. Both fighters are generational talents and future Hall of Famers.
Fans loved the unexpected duo and immediately could see that they had good 'banter' and asked for more of the duo.