UFC legend Jon Jones names long-time rival as his favorite mixed martial artist to watch

Jon Jones is widely considered to be one of the greatest in the history of the sport, known for his versatile  style, exceptional athleticism, and dominant performances inside the octagon.

Jones held the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship for a record-breaking period of time and has numerous notable victories over other top stars in the sport. However, his career has also been marred by a number of controversies, including failed tests and legal issues.

Current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has surprisingly named Israel Adesanya as his favorite UFC competitor. The two have had a heated rivalry in the past, but Jones admitted that he loves watching the current UFC middleweight champion compete.

In an interview with The Sporting News, Jones confessed: “I hate to admit it, I hate to admit it, but I would say Israel Adesanya.”

“Israel Adesanya, him and I are not friends but he’s probably the most entertaining guy in the organisation right now. His whole story with [Alex] Pereira, that whole saga they had, it was probably the most entertaining thing I’ve seen out of the UFC in a while.”

Jones is set to retire after his upcoming match with Stipe Miocic. Although he has been linked to a bout with Adesanya in the past, he is confident that it won’t happen.

Jones and Adesanya often traded insults on social media when Jones held the title of light-heavyweight champion. However, it seems like Jones put his rivalry with Adesanya to rest now that he is competing at heavyweight. Additionally, Adesanya lost his debut match at 205 pounds.

This is surprising considering Jon Jones even questioned if the nail polish gives Adesanya an advantage in his MMA bouts.

UFC stars, including Adesanya, often use nail polish as a protective layer to prevent their nails from cracking or splitting.

Jones criticized the length of Adesanya’s nails during one of his middleweight championship defenses.

Adesanya responded to Jones’ criticism by calling him “jealous and insecure” and saying he does not care what he thinks. Not to be outdone, Adesanya was known to crack jokes about Jones’ last arrest and domestic problems he was facing.