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Khabib Nurmagomedov’s shock retirement at UFC 254 has triggered a fresh GOAT debate and the UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is the latest to share his views on the topic.
Israel Adesanya tweeted ‘Quality over quantity’ alluding to Jon Jones’ tweet thread earlier in the day.
Jones had drawn attention to his numerous title defenses, as compared to Khabib's, while asserting his claim as the GOAT in the sport of mixed martial arts.
Israel Adesanya seems to disagree with Jon’s claim, perhaps referring to the lack of depth in the Light Heavyweight division when Jon Jones reigned supreme.
He may also be taking a dig at Jones’ lackluster performances in his last three outings. Jones last defended his title earlier this year in February against Dominick Reyes. While Jones got the nod on the judges’ scorecards it was a closely contested bout. Many analysts and fans alike believed that Reyes should have gotten the win.
Jones has since relinquished his LHW title, opting to ply his trade at HW instead.
Israel Adesanya has also been involved in a social media feud with Jon Jones for a few weeks now. In fact, the two have exchanged jibes and stinging remarks since early 2019, even before Israel Adesanya won the undisputed Middleweight Championship.
While the two have teased a super fight to determine who the better combat sports athlete is, nothing concrete has been established yet.
Israel Adesanya’s tweet is the latest jibe in his exchanges with Jones and it seems that ‘Bones’ will surely react soon if recent history is anything to go by.
Israel Adesanya could take on Rober Whittaker for his
third title defense
UFC 254 also saw former Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker take on Jared Cannonier at 185 pounds to determine the number one contender for Izzy’s belt.
The Aussie looked better than ever and put on a brilliant performance to outdo “The Killa Gorilla” and potentially earn another title shot.
Incidentally, Israel Adesanya had shown interest in fighting Jared Cannonier after beating Paulo Costa at UFC 253. He mentioned that Jared would be next in line for a title shot if he could ‘destroy’ Robert Whittaker.
As it would turn out, Whittaker would end up throwing a wrench in those plans at UFC 254.
Adesanya had earlier defeated Whittaker in October last year at UFC 243 via second-round knockout to win the Middleweight title.
Whittaker then bounced back with an impressive win against Darren Till and has once again put himself in the title picture after his performance against Cannonier.
Dana White had announced earlier in the week that Adesanya – Whittaker is the ‘fight to make’ in the middleweight division.
The rematch promises to be an intriguing affair, but this war of words between Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones doesn't seem to be dying own anytime soon.
