Jon Jones has given his take on the UFC 276 performances of Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.
Adesanya headlined UFC 276 in Las Vegas. He put the UFC Middleweight Championship on the line against Jared Cannonier. While it wasn’t exactly a barn burner, Adesanya kept his opponent at bay and scored the unanimous decision victory.
As for Pereira, he obliterated Sean Strickland with a first-round knockout. It was a huge victory for Pereira, who was unranked going up against the number four-ranked middleweight Strickland.
Jon Jones was in awe of Pereira’s showing.
Bro I just went back and watched Alex P fight!! Yeah I’m riding with him all day. He made it look way too easy. Really hard to believe he was unranked before this fight
— BONY (@JonnyBones) July 3, 2022
“Bro I just went back and watched Alex P fight!! Yeah I’m riding with him all day. He made it look way too easy. Really hard to believe he was unranked before this fight.”
When it came to Adesanya, however, “Bones” felt the post-fight speech left a lot to be desired.
https://twitter.com/jonnybones/status/1543472271959867392?s=21&t=7laWOxk0zOuFats10AMmVg
“Bro I can’t stop thinking about this shit. How are you going to threaten a guy like Alex with glossy fingernails and a frozen reference. I’m over here scratching my head.”
Jon Jones reacted to Israel Adesanya's octagon interview at #UFC276 pic.twitter.com/bZ2PHK19Ww
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) July 3, 2022
“What the f*ck this motherf*cker just make a frozen reference with those glossy fingernails lol.”
The stage appears to be set for a showdown between Adesanya and Pereira. The story writes itself as Pereira scored two kickboxing victories over “Izzy.” Their first encounter went the distance but in the rematch, Adesanya was brutally knocked out.
It may not be long before we find out if history repeats itself or if Adesanya will have the answer in an MMA bout.
Following his victory over Cannonier, Adesanya called out Pereira so it appears that’s the most likely direction for the UFC to go in.
As for Jones, he’s gearing up for his big heavyweight debut. The question remains, will he face Stipe Miocic or will Francis Ngannou recover in time to make that matchup next?