Israel Adesanya defends Jon Jones following UFC 309 knockout win: “He’s given enough”

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has praised Jon Jones.

‘Bones’ returned to the octagon in the main event of UFC 309 over the weekend in New York City. Back for the first time since submitting Ciryl Gane last March, Jon Jones faced Stipe Miocic. For his part, the 42-year-old former heavyweight champion hadn’t been seen in the cage since a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in 2021.

Ultimately, the former two-time champion was no match for Jon Jones. ‘Bones’ dominated Miocic, nearly finishing him in the first round with vicious ground and pound. While the challenger made it out of that round, Jones ultimately finished him with a devastating spinning back kick in round three. Following the win, the UFC champion revealed plans to keep on fighting.

However, Jon Jones didn’t seem overly interested in facing interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall. While that has irritated some fans online, ‘Bones’ has received some praise from a former foe, Israel Adesanya. While ‘The Last Stylebender’ previously had a long-running feud with Jones, the two squashed the beef last year.

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Image via: MMA Fighting on YouTube

Israel Adesnaya praises Jon Jones following UFC 309 knockout win

On his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya offered Jon Jones nothing but praise. According to the former UFC middleweight champion, the heavyweight has given the sport more than enough. Adesanya added that Jones’ doesn’t owe anyone anything at this stage of his life, and career.

“I think he was 21 when he made his debut.” Israel Adesanya stated on his YouTube channel, reacting to Jon Jones’ recent victory at UFC 309. “That’s 16 years + in the game-classic. He’s given enough. I mean he doesn’t owe the game anything.” (h/t MMA Uncensored)

While Jon Jones plans to keep on fighting, Israel Adesanya’s future is currently unknown. ‘The Last Stylebender’ last appeared in the cage at UFC 305 in August against Dricus du Plessis, suffering a submission loss. While Adesanya vowed to keep on fighting following that bout, he remains unbooked as of now.

What do you make of these comments from Israel Adesanya? Who do you want to see UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones fight next?