Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya had a similar reaction to many when watching Jon Jones decimate Ciryl Gane this past weekend.
Following a lengthy layoff, Jones returned right into the deep end inside T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. And with his performance, which also marked his debut in the heavyweight division, the former two-time 205-pound kingpin practically laughed in the face of those suggesting ring rust could hamper his attempts at achieving title glory in a new weight class.
In the UFC 285 main event, Jones handed a second professional loss to Gane. Having previously fallen short of the throne against Francis Ngannou, the former interim titleholder suffered a significantly more convincing loss in his second attempt, with his night ending in just 124 seconds courtesy of a guillotine choke.
While predictions for Jones achieving yet another memorable achievement in his illustrious career weren’t exactly scarce, it’s safe to say that not many expected the kind of dominance that the Rochester native displayed.
Like many, that sentiment was shared by Adesanya.
Israel Adesanya reacts to Jon Jones’ “Shocking” Title Win at UFC 285
As always, Adesanya’s reactions to Saturday’s pay-per-view event were captured and posted on his YouTube channel.
While he can be seen lounged back and relaxing during the prelims, that was far from the case upon the arrival of the main event, with Adesanya firmly on the edge of his seat as Jones pursued two-division glory.
And although he’s had his fair share of back and forth with “Bones” in the past, Adesanya acknowledged the feat after having his mind blown by the first-round submission.
“Oh! What the f*ck?!” Adesanya exclaimed upon Gane’s tap before demonstrating a ‘mind blown’ gesture with his hands. “Yo, what did he do? That was so subtle… Wow. Pressure on the head. I wanted more, but f*ck, that’s impressive.”
In his post-event summary, “The Last Stylebender” noted that whilst a victory for the Frenchman would have been surprising, the manner with which he was defeated was equally so.
“I did say if Gane got it done, it would be f*cking shocking. But that, the way he (Jones) did it, easily that was shocking,” Adesanya said.
For Adesanya, he’ll be hoping to deliver a similarly emphatic display when he looks to secure champion status again himself next month.
Having been dethroned last November at Madison Square Garden, the Nigerian-New Zealander will have his chance for revenge against Alex Pereira at UFC 287 on April 8.
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