Israel Adesanya vs. Jon Jones fight “still exists,” says coach Eugene Bareman
Eugene Bareman, the chief handler of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, believes there’s still room for a potential super fight with Jon Jones.
Adesanya and Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, have been jawing back and forth on social media and in interviews for several years, and have made no secret of their desire to fight each other.
That being said, many fans feel this potential super fight has lost its lustre after Adesanya lost a decision to reigning light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 last weekend.
Not so, says Bareman.
“This fight had nothing to do with Jon Jones,” Bareman told Submission Radio not long after the Blachowicz vs. Adesanya fight. “Jon Jones, that fight hasn’t fizzled away. Jon Jones is a businessman. Jon Jones understands how the pay-per-view market works and he understands where the money is, and that’s why this fight doesn’t fizzle away. Because at the end of the day, if it makes money, it makes sense.
“Jon knows who the biggest star in the sport is at the moment and who can get him paid the most,” Bareman continued. “That is why the fight won’t fizzle out. So, Jon’s gonna, if he hasn’t already, I’m sure he’s probably been on social media and gone through all the antics that he usually does, but at the end of the day, the facts are the facts. The fight doesn’t fizzle out, because they’re the biggest guys in the sport and they bring in the most money, and that’s why the fight still exists.”
While Bareman believes there’s still plenty of appeal to an Adesanya vs. Jones matchup, not everyone agrees. Former two-division UFC champ Daniel Cormier, for example, feels the fight has lost its merit.
“Watching [Adesanya] do what he did at [middleweight] makes you believe he could go with anybody, and because of the skillset, you believe he could beat a Jones,” Cormier said on DC & Helwani.
“Today, after watching [UFC 259] last Saturday, I believe Jones would be too big for him,” Cormier added. “That fight, for as much intrigue as there was, for me, it doesn’t really need to happen.”
Do you still want to see Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones fight?
