Israel Adesanya is arguably the most hyped fighter in the UFC right now. In a way, his rise has been quite similar to the rise of Jon Jones, who is now considered one of the best fighters ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The similar trajectories of Jones and Adesanya has led many fans and pundits to compare the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jon Jones, however, isn’t seeing the similarities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The light heavyweight champion debunked the recent comparisons between himself and Adesanya in a recent interview with UFC News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have similar body types and we\u2019re both black,\u201d Jones said (transcript via Sherdog<\/a>). \u201cAnd that\u2019s about it. I don\u2019t think we fight alike, I don\u2019t think we fight similar. I do a lot of wrestling, heavy ground-and-pound, a lot of submissions \u2013 I strike in both stances, I feel like our games are very different.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Jon Jones doesn’t agree with the comparison between himself and Israel Adesanya, he does have a lot of respect for the rising middleweight contender. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I do respect him, a lot,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI think he is going to be a force to be reckoned with. He is great for the sport, great talker and he finishes fights. He is a very exciting young man.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Israel Adesanya returns to the cage this weekend in Melbourne, Australia, as he’s set to battle middleweight legend Anderson Silva in the co-main event of UFC 234. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jon Jones, meanwhile, is booked to return at UFC 235 on March 2 in Las Vegas. He’ll attempt to defend his title against the live underdog Anthony Smith<\/a> in the card’s main event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n