UFC: Dana White all in for Israel Adesanya vs Jon Jones – ‘now it’s more of a reality’

Statements don‘t come much more emphatic than the one made by Israel Adesanya at UFC 253 last month, when he beat undefeated Paulo Costa inside two rounds, barely wearing a strike on his way to defending the middleweight title for a second time.

The Brazilian became the seventh of Adesanya‘s top-15 victims, prompting widespread suggestion that now is the ideal time for the Kiwi-Nigerian to explore the waters outside his division.

One such path could involve Adesanya taking the step up to light heavyweight for a ready-made fight with newly crowned light heavyweight king Jan Blachowicz, where the hallowed status of dual-division champ is there for the taking.

Or, there‘s Jon Jones. The sport’s unofficial “GOAT” (greatest of all time) is still without an opponent, after announcing his intention to make his long-awaited move to heavyweight.

For almost two years, the American has been trading online barbs and memes with Adesanya. But since “The Last Stylebender” secured his most recent win, their spat has escalated into a relentless exchange of social media jabs and counters, suggesting now is the opportune time for the two to settle their beef in the Octagon.

And there’s no more influential advocate for that bout than UFC president Dana White.

UFC: Dana defends Adesanya antics; blasts ‘sensitive crybabies’

“I love that fight,” White told SCMP MMA. “These two hate each other.

“One of the great things when you have a guy who’s cleaning out the division like he is, then just beats the number one guy who was undefeated, is that we have all these different options for him.

“He‘s got nothing but upside. It’s nothing but great things ahead for him right now. He‘s almost cleaned out an entire division, and quickly. He’s already looking at super fights that are possible.”

Initially, White admits he was sceptical of Adesanya‘s ability to contend with a fighter of Jones’ size and pedigree, who is – at the very least – the greatest light heavyweight ever.

But Adesanya’s blitz through middleweight – in particular the annihilation of his supposed most difficult test to date – has completely swung White’s outlook.

“One hundred per cent. It‘s impossible not to,” White said, when asked if victory over Costa had changed his opinion of Adesanya’s chances against Jones.

“As soon as Adesanya got here those two started fighting … but it was way too soon. For Israel to come in and start talking about Jones, you haven’t even won the title yet and you’re talking about Jon Jones. Now it’s more of a reality.

“What he did to Costa and the way that he did it was remarkable. I was calling that the fight of the year and obviously I expected Costa to be in his face all night, much like the Kelvin Gastelum fight, but even more violent. And Israel just went out there and absolutely shut him down.

“You see it every time Israel gets in the Octagon now, he gets more and more confidence and this last time, he knows this is his house now. He walks into this place like, ‘This is my house’ and he absolutely dominated.”

Adesanya has long-maintained his intention to clean out his division completely before taking the step into the “super fight” realm, meaning much of this discussion may be moot, at least for now.

But even if he does stay, White still sees plenty of intriguing potential matchups, the next of which may hinge on Jared Cannonier‘s showdown with Robert Whittaker at UFC 254.

“If Cannonier beats Whitaker then I think people will want to see him fight Cannonier. If Whittaker wins do they rematch?” White said.

“The good thing about Israel, he‘s got so many different possibilities. He’s got Cannonier, he’s got Whittaker, he’s got Jones, he’s got Blachowicz. He’s got all kinds of options.”