Tyron Woodley rips Israel Adesanya for following Jon Jones’ footsteps by moving up division
TYRON #TYRON
By Farah Hannoun | February 11, 2021 6:50 pm
Tyron Woodley could only roll his eyes when asked his thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s move up to light heavyweight.
UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) will attempt to hold two titles simultaneously when he challenges light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 on March 6.
It appeared a matchup between Adesanya and longtime light heavyweight king Jon Jones was brewing when the pair was continuously going back-and-forth and social media. But Jones wound up vacating his belt this past August to move up to heavyweight, while Adesanya went on to defend his title just a month later with a second-round finish of Paulo Costa at UFC 253.
And with Robert Whittaker clearing out contenders Darren Till and Jared Cannonier, Adesanya decided to move up to light heavyweight for his next bout. But Woodley questions the timing of Adesanya’s move.
“I thought he had some business to do in the middleweight division and he was going to wait, and the second Jon Jones moved up to heavyweight, he moved up to 205,” Woodley said in an interview with Helen Yee.
“I couldn’t even think past the fact that he completely said he was not going to go up to 205 and face Jon Jones. If you’re the best – if somebody asked me to go up and fight (Michael) Bisping, I’m doing it. If you want to say you’re the best, now you’re going to go up to fight Jan? You wouldn’t do it to fight Jon? That makes no sense. The pay day is way different, and when someone talks and says they’re this and that, and then they get the opportunity to go against the greatest of all time and you wanted to wait two years? I don’t get it.”
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Woodley (19-6-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC) was also critical of the fact that since Adesanya and Jones have been trading barbs for a while, “The Stylebender” should have gone for the matchup then, despite the fact Adesanya said he’d be willing to go up to heavyweight in the future to fight Jones.
However, Adesanya has to get past Blachowicz first, and Woodley thinks everyone is overlooking the Polish champion.
“I think he should do whatever he wants to do, but don’t go around talking crap about Jon, and to Jon, and now Jon said, ‘All right, let’s go,’ and now you’re like, ‘No, I’ll get you in two years,’” Woodley said. “But one year later, Jon goes up, and now you (go) up. Everybody want to be double-belted after Conor (McGregor) did, and I get it. But Jan ain’t someone you can play with. That dude got (expletive) power, and I think it’s something about the underdog that everybody’s looking past.”
Gallery Photos: Best of Tyron Woodley