Anderson Silva Comments On Jon Jones And Isreal Adesanya Feud, Says Adesanya ‘Crossed a Line’

– Recently crowned Interim UFC Middleweight Champion Isreal Adesanya and Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones have been trading barbs through interviews and social media alike as of late. But the legendary Anderson Silva feels that Adesanya “crossed a line” recently, finding his comments disrespectful of Jones.

Before his UFC 236 win over Kelvin Gastelum in which he claimed the title, Adesanya told TMZ Sports (h/t MMAWeekly), “I already killed one G.O.A.T. and I’m hunting the next,” referring to Silva and Jones.

Afterwards, Adesanya appeared on the MMA Hour (h/t MMAWeekly), where he further mocked Jones.

“He’s picking the time when I’m supposed to get the most shine to come at me because he’s irrelevant,” Adesanya said. “No one really cares about him. I’m everything he wished he was; I’m everything he wished he would have been.”

Silva believes that this was “crossing the line a little bit” and elaborated when talking to MMA Fighting on SBNation (h/t MMAWeekly).

“That’s my personal opinion because Israel is young and Jon Jones has a great story for a long time in this sport,” Silva said. “I think Adesanya needs to respect Jon Jones, but for the business, it’s good for Dana (White and the UFC’s business).”

Despite this, he doesn’t think it’s right to insult the athletic achievements of Jones, whom he respects immensely.

“I respect all fighters, especially Jon Jones,” Silva said. “Jon Jones is my young brother and I don’t have nothing for talking about Jon Jones. He’s the best fighter in the world.”

Silva’s full interview can be seen below:

In spite of the mounting tensions, a match between the pair occurring any time soon seems unlikely. Adesanya is expected to unify his new title with undisputed Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker, who is currently recovering from an unexpected emergency surgery.

Jones, on the other hand, is set to defend his Light Heavyweight Championship against Thiago Santos at UFC 239 on July 6th in Las Vegas.

Silva will facing Jared Cannonier in the co-main of UFC 237: Namajunes vs. Adrade on May 11th in Rio De Jeneiro.