Not too long ago, back when he was still undisputed UFC middleweight king, Israel Adesanya was itching to secure a super-fight against the dominant ruler of the division above him, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones.
But time waits for no man, and with Jon Jones now set to defend his heavyweight title this weekend at UFC 309, ‘The Last Stylebender’ is backing his former rival to retain his championship belt… And in a dominant fashion.
Israel Adesanya shares his prediction for UFC 309: Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic
Breaking down the UFC 309 main card via his official YouTube channel, former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya admitted that he’s learned his lesson about underestimating Jones’ potential at heavyweight.
“Fight-wise, Jones looks better at heavyweight already, he has been taking this seriously and the way he fights – bro, the Ciryl Gane fight was the one that made me go ‘Yeah, he’s the best’.
“I thought that Ciryl would give him some trouble as the new age heavyweight and Jon’s like ‘Hold my beer’ and gets a sneaky front choke… The guy is just crafty and creative with what he does.”
Given both the age difference and recent form, it’s no surprise that Jones is the sizable favorite over 42-year-old Stipe Miocic, with approximately 88% of Tapology Community Picks going in favor of ‘Bones’ and over two-thirds of those expecting a finish.
“Stipe is tough, [and] he can outwork a lot of heavyweights,” noted Adesanya on the challenge presented by Miocic, but despite being one of the best to ever do it, he just doesn’t see a realistic path to victory.
“You’ve seen what he’s done in the past, his reign as a heavyweight, he’s knocked people out, submitted people. But in this fight, I think he’s up against it… If Stipe gets it done, it will be the biggest upset in UFC history and that should be motivation enough for him to want to get it done.”
Adesanya, like the vast majority of UFC fans and fighters, is predicting another dominant stoppage win for Jones this weekend.
“I’m going to pick Jon Jones, I’m going to pick maybe [in the] first two rounds, he’s going to finish him… Jon Jones within the first two rounds, I don’t know if it’s going to be a knockout or submission, but I feel like Jon might try and enjoy it and soak this up.
Concerns raised over Jon Jones fighting at UFC 309 with a potential injury
Jon Jones was videoed with an apparent limp yesterday afternoon as he made his way through the fighter hotel, prompting fans to raise concerns that he could be suffering from a slight injury.
Bones hasn’t yet addressed either the video or those concerns, with the global MMA community speculating on whether the 37-year-old could have an issue ahead of his title showdown.
“Something is wrong with his foot,” claimed one fan, with another writing: “Is he limping? Bet the house on Stipe.”
Given how Jones has repeatedly stated that he’ll never fight interim champion Tom Aspinall, there were also countless posts taking aim at the current undisputed king.
“He even walks like a duck,” joked one X user, with a fourth asking: “Is that a limp I see or a waddle?”
UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic goes down on Saturday, November 16 live from Madison Square Garden.
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