Adesanya says Jones fight isn't dead: 'I'm coming for that ass'

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya came up short in his bid to become a dual titleholder, but he believes a fight with Jon Jones could still materialize.

Heading into Adesanya's light heavyweight title bout against Jan Blachowicz earlier in March, there was a notion that he could go on to face Jones in a highly anticipated superfight if he captured the 205-pound belt. But after Adesanya suffered his first career loss, Jones considered the potential matchup "off the table."

Not so fast, according to Adesanya.

"Hell no," he told ESPN's Ariel Helwani when asked if he thought the Jones fight was dead. "This is just a little valley in my story. In any movie, in any anime series, you always have the valleys, and then you rise up from that. This is just mine. ... I'm taking this very well, and I know exactly what I have to do to get back to my true self. So, yeah, I'm doing just that. But nah, that fight's not dead. I'm coming for that ass."

Jones and Adesanya have developed somewhat of a rivalry in recent months, with UFC president Dana White calling a matchup between the two of them "the fight to make" last October. Jones, a former light heavyweight champion, was active on social media during the UFC 259 main event and mocked Adesanya after he dropped a unanimous decision to Blachowicz.

"That shows his character. ... Find a tweet of me tweeting and kicking him when everyone is shitting on him," Adesanya said. "He barely beat Thiago Santos. Dominick Reyes arguably kicked his ass. Find a tweet of me going at him and then taking a victory lap."

Adesanya added, "Wait till he loses. Time will tell. That's what I'll say."

Jones is expected to move up to heavyweight and challenge the winner of Stipe Miocic versus Francis Ngannou later in 2021. Even if Jones loses his next fight, Adesanya said he'd still be interested in squaring off with the all-time great.

"This is deeper than fighting now. ... He knows, we know, we all know what he's like," Adesanya said. "We all know how fake he is."