Israel Adesanya says Jon Jones can ‘run to heavyweight’, but he will hunt him down regardless

Israel Adesanya wants to cement his legacy as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time. To do so, Adesanya believes he needs to face the light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

In a recent interview with BT Sport, Jones shut down claims of a potential Adesanya matchup. The UFC star doesn’t see himself facing the middleweight champion in the future as he will likely move up to heavyweight.

According to Adesanya, he won’t let a weight class change stop his chances of fighting the widely regarded G.O.A.T. During an interview on Submission Radio, the 185-pound champion Adesanya made it clear what his intentions are.

“I saw it on Instagram that by the time he goes to heavyweight the fight will be — who gives a f*ck about weight?” Adesanya said. “I’ve never given a f*ck about weight. Since when? It’s never been an issue for me. I’ve been a heavyweight in boxing [and] in kickboxing. I’ll do it in again in MMA, so it’s never been an issue for me.

“He can try and run to heavyweight, but I’ll chase him down. I’ll hunt him down if I have to.”

Adesanya wants to take on the toughest challenges the UFC has to offer, and that includes the middleweight titan, Yoel Romero. In his first title defence since claiming the belt from Robert Whittaker, Adesanya will face Romero in the main event of UFC 248. He plans on defending his belt a few more times before stepping up to take on the light heavyweight division.

“Yeah, let him go to heavyweight,” Adesanya said. “Right now, I’m still working at middleweight. He can skip the line if he comes down to middleweight. I’ve said that already. But I’m sure he can’t do that because his frame won’t let him. So, let me do my work, shut the f*ck up, and I’ll come see you when it’s time.”

Meanwhile, Jones is also busy defending his 205-pound crown. He will return to action to fight Dominick Reyes on February 8 in the main event of UFC 247. Regardless of the outcome, the Nigerian-New Zealander still has his sights set on a Jon Jones showdown.

“I know when I’m fighting, he tries to talk sh*t about me when I’m fighting to try and take away the attention from my fight onto him. Or to try and like, make it about him for whatever reason. But it’s my show, I don’t really care.

“If Dom wins, good on Dom, happy for him, and I think he’s got a big problem on his hands with Dominick Reyes as well. But if Dom wins, doesn’t matter, I’m still coming for that a*s.”

Who do you think would have the upper hand between Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 1/31/2020.