Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was quick to defend his once-former rival as he had an awkward altercation with a fan.
Israel Adesanya was once the biggest star in the sport back when he was the king of the middleweight division, boasting wins over the likes of Alex Pereira and Robert Whittaker.
Adesanya had a famous feud with the former UFC heavyweight and light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and the two seemed destined to fight at one stage in their careers.
Adesanya is currently on the worst streak of his career, having lost his last three fights in a row. But despite this, he still is showing a lot of empathy for a fellow struggling fighter.
Adesanya quickly defends former rival Jon Jones
During a recent interaction with a fan, Adesanya showed a lot of class as he backed his former rival Jon Jones.
The fan came up to Adesanya and asked him to say “f— Jon Jones.”
He responded by calling out the fan, “That’s rude! Why would I say f— Jon Jones!” Adesanya said.
Adesanya showed grace to the former champion, “He’s going through some stuff, I don’t like to kick a man while he is down.” Adesanya said.
“We all do dumb s—. No one is perfect.” Adesanya stated.
Jon Jones has come under a lot of backlash since the news of his retirement from MMA. With many fans hoping they would finally see Jones fight Tom Aspinall.
It came as a surprise when Jones announced his retirement from MMA, and fans have questioned whether he ever really wanted to fight Aspinall.
What’s next after Jon Jones’ retirement?
Jon Jones has been widely considered the greatest MMA fighter of all time by the majority of fans and pundits, as he has been at the top of the MMA world for over 10 years.
So, now that he has retired, many fans are curious to see what happens next and who the newly crowned heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will face in his next fight.
| Fighter name | Total wins in title fights |
| Jon Jones | 16 |
| George St-Pierre | 13 |
| Demetrious Johnson | 12 |
| Anderson Silva | 11 |
| Amanda Nunes | 11 |
| Valentina Shevchenko | 10 |
| Matt Hughes | 9 |
| Jose Aldo | 8 |
| Israel Adesanya | 8 |
While Jones has had a very controversial life outside of MMA, his legacy inside the cage will be cemented in history, and he will be a hard man to top.