“Proud of you Champ” - Jon Jones shares touching words of encouragement after Israel Adesanya's UFC hiatus announcement

Jon Jones has issued his support to Israel Adesanya following the former two-time champion's announcement that he would be taking a break from fighting.

'The Last Stylebender' was defeated by Sean Strickland in surprising fashion last month at UFC 293. Strickland was a massive underdog heading into fight night, but dominated Adesanya for much of the contest, winning via unanimous decision.

During a recent interview with The Rock FM, Israel Adesanya said that he would not be fighting for an extended period. Having competed four times in a 14-month span, 'The Last Stylebender' is more than deserving of a break, but also assured fans that he would not be retiring.

Jon Jones, who recently squashed a mutual beef with Adesanya, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a touching message with his foe-turned-friend. 'Bones' wrote the following:

"Hey @stylebender I just want to let you know I support your decision to take a break from fighting. Taking those last three years off was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Always put YOU first brother. Protect your heart, protect your mimd & spirit. Proud of you Champ."

See the post below:

There was speculation that Israel Adesanya would face Sean Strickland in an immediate rematch, following his defeat at UFC 293. But it seems that 'Tarzan' will face the winner of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman next, after UFC president Dana White confirmed the news at a recent press conference.

While Adesanya is set for a significant stint on the sidelines, it's unlikely he'll be out for as long as three years, like Jon Jones.

Given the former middleweight champion's eagerness to compete, having fought eight times in the past three years, he may be back sooner than fans expect.

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Jon Jones speaks out after UFC and USADA end their partnership

Several days ago it was announced that the UFC and USADA would not be working together as of 2024.

The news took the combat sports world by storm, with fans and fighters all reacting to the impending changes, including Jon Jones.

'Bones' has had several run-ins with USADA in the past, testing positive for clomiphene and letrozole in 2015, as well as turinabol metabolite in 2017. But Jones has maintained his innocence, and took to X following news of the UFC-USADA split.

Jon Jones wrote this:

"Man I survived USADA. First they said I was guilty of having picograms, then they considered me innocent, next picograms became legal. Guess what I’m still here, still unbeaten. That BS no contest over DC needs to be taken off my record. I’ve never cheated this sport and I will stand by that until the Day I die."

See the post below: