Israel Adesanya describes peaceful run-in with Jon Jones as ‘divine intervention’

Israel Adesanya keeps on running into all his mixed martial arts (MMA) rivals as he travels around the world, and he’s starting to think divine intervention is behind it.

Last month, Adesanya crossed paths with Alex Pereira in an airport just a few short weeks after “The Last Stylebender” knocked out “Poatan” to reclaim his Middleweight title (watch highlights). They reportedly had an amicable exchange, and Izzy even shared some tips on how Pereira should fight Jan Blachowicz when the two throw down at UFC 291 later this month.

Then, Adesanya and Jon Jones bumped into each other at a Las Vegas, Nevada, hotel bar during UFC 290’s International Fight Week. For years, the two exchanged absolutely ruthless trash talk at each other.

But, when they met, it was all love.

In a new video on his YouTube channel, “The Last Stylebender” gave some insight into the meeting.

“I think it was divine intervention — I honestly do,” Adesanya said. “Because I feel like there are so many timelines that could have ended up just differently. Came back from the gym, I was tired, I was going to stay in my room and eat and read. I was like nah, lemme go downstairs and have a look at the casino ... Didn’t go to XS, didn’t stay in my room, decided instead of going to the casino, ‘Ah, I’m just gonna go to the bar.’

“I hear, ‘No way!’ And you just think it’s some fan or whatever, and then I turn around and, ‘Oh s—, what the f—!’ And instantly we just dapped up,” Izzy continued. “The energy was just — if you were around ... it was a n—a moment in the best way possible. ‘What up my n—a.’ And we just sat down and chopped it up, it was cool. We chopped it up about everything, and that’s ‘Needs to know’ basis.

“It was cool, it was just vibes,” Adesanya concluded. “Good vibes. Yeah [the beef is squashed]. We have understanding, we have common ground. We’re competitors, that’s it. But there’s no ... why should I hate my brother, if that makes sense? It felt like a little bit of world peace, that’s what it’d feel like. I dunno, that’s just my feeling of it.”

We still have no official confirmation on what’s next for Adesanya, but everyone expects him to headline the upcoming UFC 293 card inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 10, 2023. Will that be against his new enemy, Dricus Du Plessis? That’d be the hot fight to make, but it’s a tight turnaround considering “Stillknocks” just competed at UFC 290, leaving just two months to prepare.

Keep it locked to MMAmania.com for all the updates regarding UFC 293, Adesanya and his rotating roster of rivals and buddies.