Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones beef is squashed, plan to train together

UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya and heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones have long jawwed at each other about fighting. There beef started well before Jones vacated the light heavyweight title to prepare for a move to heavyweight and Adesanya made a failed attempt at capturing the 205-pound crown from Jan Blachowicz.

But all it took for them to iron out there differences was a chance run-in at a Las Vegas casino. The unplanned meeting was met with friendly faces on both sides and led to them talking things out.

In a recent video posted to his YouTube channel, Adesanya said not only had he and Jones squashed their beef, but they also intend to train together.

“Yes, definitely,” Adesanya said when asked if training with Jones were a possibility, but then added, “It’s already in the works. It will happen.”

Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones have UFC title defenses set

Both champions now have title defenses lined up, so perhaps said training sessions could happen sooner rather than later. 

Adesanya went nose-to-nose in a wild staredown with Dricus du Plessis after the South African stopped Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. The victory earned du Plessis the next crack at Adesanya’s UFC middleweight championship. Though the fight hasn’t been made official, Adesanya vs. du Plessis is expected to headline UFC 293 on Sept. 10 in Sydney, Australia.

Jones won the UFC heavyweight title when he defeated Cyril Gane at UFC 285 in March. He had been hoping to challenge Francis Ngannou for the belt, but Jones vs. Gane came together after Ngannou waited out his contract and inked a deal with the PFL. 

Ngannou’s PFL deal allows him to simultaneously pursue boxing matches. It’s a clause which he is already taking advantage of. Ngannou is expected to earn the biggest payday of his career when he makes his professional boxing debut opposite Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia later this year.

Meanwhile, Jones will be back in the Octagon defending his heavyweight championship against former titleholder Stipe Miocic. The two recently agreed to headline UFC 295 in November, where Jones will put his heavyweight belt on the line for the first time.

Perhaps with their beef squashed and plans “in the works,” an Adesanya/Jones training camp could be coming soon.

Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones chance encounter in Las Vegas casino