As soon as he entered the UFC, Israel Adesanya was compared to Jon Jones and Anderson Silva.
This weekend in Melbourne, Australia, he meets one of those men in Silva — a fellow precision punching striker with expert technique. But what about Jones? What does the UFC light heavyweight think of his comparisons to the younger man?
Not a lot, really.
“I feel like we’re both … we have similar body types, and we’re both black. And that’s about it. Jones said in a video posted by UFC News. “I don’t think we fight alike. I don’t think we fight similar. I do a lot of wrestling and heavy ground-and-pound and a lot of submissions, and I do strike from both stances. (But) I feel like our game is very different.”
Hear what @UFC light heavyweight champion @JonnyBones thinks about #UFC234's @StyleBender 🔊🆙 pic.twitter.com/fhFB4GLVfs
— UFC News (@UFCNews) February 6, 2019
That being said, Jones does at least appreciate Adesanya’s skills.
“I do respect him a lot,” Jones said. “I think he is going to be a force to be reckoned with. He’s great for the sport, great talker, finishes fights, and he’s very exciting.”