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RIO DE JANEIRO – Anderson Silva is siding with Jon Jones in Jones’ feud against Israel Adesanya.

In the lead-up and aftermath of his interim middleweight title victory over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 this past weekend, Adesanya (17-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) found himself locked in a war of words with Jones (24-1 MMA, 18-1 UFC), who is the current UFC light heavyweight champion.

The crux of the issue seems to stem from Adesanya’s victory over Silva (34-9 MMA, 17-5 UFC) at UFC 234 in February and whether Jones called out “Stylebender” afterward or not. It’s evolved into a back-and-forth about a future fight, and after witnessing it all, Silva believes Adesanya was out of line.

“The way I see it, as an athlete, he disrespected Jon Jones,” Silva told reporters, including MMA Junkie, today in Brazil. “I think for the business, for (UFC President) Dana (White), it’s great. It’s great business for the UFC. Regardless of whether they fight or not, the UFC wins – and the fans. But there is a lack of respect. I think he crossed the line a bit.”

Silva said he understands that Adesanya is “young” and full of vigor, however, he is a traditionalist and believes it’s important to show respect for the more successful fighters who have been around the game a long time. Adesanya showed that respect to “The Spider” before their encounter earlier this year, and he thinks the same should happen with Jones.

“With time, he’ll learn how to deal with those things,” Silva said. “I think he has to respect everything Jon Jones has done. It’s two great fighters. In the future, who knows – they might fight. But I’m from a time when you have honor. You respect everyone’s space. And that’s my opinion.”

Silva said he is not trying to take shots at Adesanya. However, the longtime former champion has seen and done a lot in the sport, and while he knows the beef could help build to a big fight down the line, he would like for Adesanya to be more reserved.

“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.

“I respect all fighters, especially Jon Jones. Jon Jones is my young brother and I don’t have a problem talking about Jon Jones. He’s the best fighter in the world.”

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