Jon Jones has pondered why Israel Adesanya was allowed to fight with "long nails" during his recent middleweight title defence.
The Nigerian fighter defended his belt for a fifth time against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on Saturday night, and despite comfortably winning he was criticised for his performance. Adesanya was again unable to stop his latest challenger, although he put on a stylish defensive display and was rarely touched as he worked his way to a five-round victory.
And former light-heavyweight champion Jones had further critiques for the middleweight title holder, raising questions about his long nails. Adesanya is known for sporting manicured tips and dressing in flashy outfits, but his rival wonders if it perhaps should be banned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
"Bro, serious question," Jones tweeted after Adesanya's fight with Cannonier. "How does Commission allow this dude to compete with those long-a** nails?" Adesanya hit back at Jones, telling reporters at the post-fight press conference: "F*** Jon Jones, f*** him I don't want to hear about that b****, what does he want to talk about my nails for? He's just jealous and insecure, he's a f***boy. He could never rock something like this, he's a b****. F*** him, I don't give a f*** what he thinks."
Francis Ngannou, the world heavyweight champion, also defended Adesanya, telling Jones that he has been "sitting back". The pair have been touted for a possible fight after the American dropped his light-heavyweight title and began bulking for a move to heavyweight, but it has yet to materialise.
Ngannou tweeted: "Since Jones been sitting back and talking s*** Izzy has defended his title at least five times. Well done champ, some people talk and some people act." He also referenced a hashtag of the three kings, alluding to the African UFC champions Ngannou, Adesanya and welterweight Kamaru Usman.
What do you think of Israel Adesanya's nails? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Fans expecting a knockout from the hard-hitting Adesanya were left disappointed once again over the weekend in his latest decision win. And it wasn't just fans who were upset, with former champion Michael Bisping also expressing his concern at Adesanya's lack of exciting fights.
"Israel Adesanya showed once again his technical brilliance," Bisping said on the UFC 276 BT Sport post-fight show. "Problem is, that was never in question. People always knew he was technically fantastic, and you know, without flaw.
"What I wanted to see was a little more urgency, a willingness to entertain the 20,000 people that have paid for very expensive tickets. However: and still. That is the main thing. The walk, as we know here, was legendary. And he came out, and he was ahead in every round.
"I agree with 50-45. But as I say, a sense of urgency from both men was what was required. Listen, at the end of the day, Adesanya did what he set out to do. That was defend the belt. But however, he's not wowing audiences. He would probably say that's not his job, his job is to win fights and that's what he did."
