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Dana White has opened up on whether the potential Jon Jones vs Israel Adesanya fight would take place this year. Addressing the same, White asserted that there are ‘too many ifs’ for him to say whether or not that fight would come to fruition in 2021.
Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will challenge Jan Blachowicz for the latter’s UFC light heavyweight title in March. Meanwhile, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is set to make his heavyweight debut later this year and could fight for the UFC heavyweight title.
Speaking to Laura Sanko on ESPN MMA, UFC president Dana White shed light upon his views on a potential Jon Jones vs Israel Adesanya matchup. Jones and Adesanya have taken multiple jibes at one another on social media in the past. Adesanya has consistently emphasized that he will move to any division to fight archrival Jones, be it at light heavyweight or heavyweight. White stated:
“I don’t know. I mean, Jon Jones is looking to…You know there’s too many ifs. He wants to fight in the heavyweight division. He’s ready to fight in the heavyweight division. Israel Adesanya and Jan (Blachowicz) will end up fighting. Does Adesanya win that fight? And if he doesn’t, I’m sure he goes back down to, you know, middleweight. Too many ifs to say, you know, whether that would happen or not.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Dana White echoed the MMA community's sentiments by pointing out that there are quite a few variables at play in this situation. White indicated that Adesanya would first have to defeat Blachowicz and possibly move up to heavyweight if he wants to fight Jones.
Jon Jones vs. Israel Adesanya is likely to be contested at heavyweight
Jon Jones recently claimed that he doesn’t intend to return to the light heavyweight division and is now solely focused on winning the UFC heavyweight title.
Besides, the vast majority of MMA fans and experts believe that Jones will stay at heavyweight for the foreseeable future. This stance would mean that Israel Adesanya will have to move up to the heavyweight division if he wants to fight Jones.
Presently, the date and opponent for Jon Jones’ heavyweight debut are yet to be revealed. Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya will face Jan Blachowicz in a UFC light heavyweight title match at UFC 259 on March 6th, 2021.
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