Israel Adesanya explains why he’s a bad matchup for “washed up” Jon Jones

UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya has made no secret of the fact that he intends to move up to the light heavyweight division to battle Jon Jones in the future.

Speaking on the latest episode of BJPENN.COM Radio, Adesanya explained why he’s so confident he’d win this potential matchup.

He points to the fact that Jones was recently pushed to the brink of defeat by Dominick Reyes, a tall, rangy striker with big power. Adesanya believes that his own striking is far superior to Reyes’, so he should be able to emulate Reyes’ success against Jon Jones — perhaps even surpass it.

“I already told them and them Dominick showed them,” Adesanya said. “I told you [Jones] is washed up. His best years are behind him. He has trouble with tall, lanky guys who know how to strike. And me and Dominic, our striking is on different levels.”

Adesanya also says he’ll have some surprises in store for Jones if the fight hits the mat.

“When he sees me and he thinks, ‘I’m going to shoot on him,’ he’s going to find out something about my ground game,” Adesanya said. “I look forward to it.”

While this is a matchup Adesanya is hoping for in the near future, his focus is currently on defending his 185-pound title.

“I’m just focused on 185,” he said. “I’m just focused on what I’m doing.”

Israel Adesanya last fought in March, when he defeated Yoel Romero by decision to retain his title. At present, he doesn’t currently have a fight booked, but he’s expected to defend his belt against fellow undefeated fighter Paulo Costa in the near future. Beyond that, he forecasts fights with other middleweight contenders like Jared Cannonier.

Do you think Israel Adesanya has what it takes to defeat Jon Jones in the future?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 5/4/2020.