Michael Bisping: I can see Israel Adesanya giving Jon Jones problems

Michael Bisping believes Israel Adesanya could make things interesting in a bout with Jon Jones.

Adesanya and Jones have been trading barbs ever since “The Last Stylebender” said he was “hunting” another GOAT after beating Anderson Silva. Adesanya is the interim UFC middleweight champion and he’s set for a title unification bout against Robert Whittaker on Oct. 5. Meanwhile, Jones is coming off the second successful title defense in his current reign as UFC light heavyweight champion.

Taking to his Believe You Me podcast, Bisping discussed the possibility of Adesanya vs. Jones and how “The Last Stylebender” would fare.

“I like what Israel’s doing. I like that he’s calling out Jon Jones. The fact that he’s even being put in the same sentence as him is great marketing. It’s a great strategy, calling out the biggest, best name possible. That’s awesome, I applaud that. And who knows? The fight might happen down the line. If Adesanya beats Whittaker, which is a very possible outcome, then you might see Jones vs. Adesanya because Jones is running out of good competition. So that might be a fight that happens down the line.”

Bisping continued, sharing his belief that Adesanya could give Jones problems:

“I can see Israel giving him problems. It wouldn’t be fair [to] Jones to sit here and say Adesanya would beat him. But I think it’d be a good fight. I think it’d be more competitive than what people think. I agree with your point [co-host Luis Gomez], I think he does fight to his level. I think it’d be a pretty close fight. I’d see it, I’d pay for it, I’d buy that pay-per-view.”

If Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones were to share the cage, do you think the fight would be competitive? How do you think it would end?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/29/2019.