Jon Jones responds to Adesanya's provocation and plans to fight Miocic after UFC 247

J. Jones remains UFC champion. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook UFC

The light heavyweight champion (up to 93kg.), Jon Jones is close to defending his belt again, this Saturday (8), at UFC 247However, the athlete already sees his next challenges ahead. In an interview with 'MMA Fighting', the North American responded to provocations from Israel adesanya and excited fans by admitting that he could fight for the heavyweight title if he wins Dominick reyes in this weekend.

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“His elegance is exciting for his (Israel) fans, but I know a thousand people like him. I grew up with people like him. He doesn’t impress me the way he impresses everyone else,” said ‘Bones’ when talking about the middleweight champion (up to 93,9kg.).

Jon's speech came in response to a recent interview given by Adesanya, when the Nigerian stated that he would face 'Bones' even though the American is playing for the heavyweight division. However, Jones stated that his rival is just finding excuses to postpone the clash.

"He is afraid. That's it. When he says you have to respect the game or the game will humiliate you, he's talking about not fighting me now or me spanking his ass because he's scared. When you let a fighter like me know that you are not prepared to fight me today and need a year to prepare, you can know your mental state”, said the American.

According to the light heavyweight champion, Israel is devising a strategy assuming that Jon will not have the same high performance in one year as he has had for years. Jones, however, stated that he is preparing himself every day to increase his skills in the sport and has not yet reached the peak of his career.

“If he feels like he's not prepared for the challenge now, if he honestly thinks I'm going to be somehow a weaker version of myself next year, he's sorely mistaken. I'm just now discovering boot camps and discovering different ways of healing and recovery and all these things. My teammates are getting stronger. I’m just a purple belt in jiu-jitsu,” he stated.

Jon also commented on the possibility of fighting for the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic. The athlete has kept alive the expectation of testing himself in the top division and, if he defeats Dominick, this could be the American's fate.

It's definitely a possibility (to face Miocic). One thing I know for sure: moving up to heavyweight would inspire me on a different level, just because there would be so many elements that I'm not familiar with,” he stated.

Even with the possibility of a new challenge in his career, Jon stated that he would not be surprised to share the Octagon against bigger and, theoretically, stronger opponents.

“I've been dealing with heavyweights all my life. My brother is one of the best heavyweights in New York state wrestling history. I fought him every day. I used to train with Travis Browne, Andrei Arlovski and many other great heavyweights over the years. I’m very comfortable going against guys who are bigger and stronger than me,” she concluded.