Jon Jones sends a message to Israel Adesanya following news of his planned hiatus from UFC

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has some words of encouragement for Israel Adesanya.

Adesanya recently announced that he will be taking a hiatus from pro MMA competition. “Izzy” dropped the UFC Middleweight Championship to Sean Strickland in a shocking upset back in September. It was then revealed that Adesanya was caught drunk driving in New Zealand just a few weeks before the fight. During an appearance on The Rock FM, “The Last Stylebender” said that while he will not be retiring, he is going to take a break from the fight game to heal and refocus.

RELATED: ISRAEL ADESANYA SAYS FANS WON’T SEE HIM FIGHT “FOR A LONG TIME” FOLLOWING LOSS TO SEAN STRICKLAND

Jon Jones Sends Uplifting Message To Israel Adesanya

Jon Jones caught wind of the announcement made by Israel Adesanya and he chimed in with the following message on X:

Hey @stylebender I just want to let you know I support your decision to take a break from fighting. Taking those last three years off was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Always put YOU first brother. Protect your heart, protect your mimd & spirit. Proud of you Champ.

— BONY (@JonnyBones) October 15, 2023

“Hey @stylebender I just want to let you know I support your decision to take a break from fighting,” Jones wrote. “Taking those last three years off was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Always put YOU first brother. Protect your heart, protect your mind & spirit. Proud of you Champ.”

Things have certainly taken a turn in the relationship between Jones and Adesanya. The two once hurled barbs at one another when Adesanya was an unbeaten UFC champion. Following his unanimous decision loss to Jan Blachowicz, buzz surrounding a potential Jones vs. Adesanya fight fizzled out, and “Bones” moved up to heavyweight.

Nowadays, Jones and Adesanya are far more cordial with one another. The two even met in person and shared some laughs earlier this year, and it became clear that the beef was squashed.

As far as what’s next for the middleweight division, UFC CEO Dana White has told Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports that the winner of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 will be granted the next middleweight title shot against Sean Strickland.