Israel Adesanya has some advice for Jon Jones.
Adesanya is set to put the UFC Middleweight Championship on the line against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on July 2. If he defeats Cannonier, then Adesanya will make his fifth successful undisputed UFC Middleweight Title defense.
Adesanya and Jones have long been going at it on social media but momentum for the fight cooled off when “Izzy” failed to capture the light heavyweight gold against Jan Blachowicz last year.
Jones plans to move up to the heavyweight division as well.
Speaking to media members ahead of UFC 276, Israel Adesanya had a suggestion for Jon Jones (via MMAFighting).
“He should move up in weight first [before we fight],” Adesanya said at the press conference for his UFC 276 showdown with Jared Cannonier. “Go fight Francis [Ngannou], or even, like, I don’t know, stop being on TMZ. Get his life together.”
Adesanya went on to say that he’s only concerned with what he’s doing right now, not on Jones.
“This is facts, or am I saying anything that’s not true?” he continued. “Just get his s*** together first, like [Daniel Cormier] said, and yeah, start fighting again, because there’s no fight if someone’s not fighting.
“I’m the one fighting, I’m staying active, I moved up in weight – not just talking about it. I’m going to do it again. Cementing my own legacy. I’m just worried about me right now. That’s the thing.”
Jones hasn’t competed since Feb. 2020 when he defeated Dominick Reyes to successfully defend the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship for the final time. Jones vacated the title and went on a hiatus due to issues with the UFC and preparing his body for a change in weight class.