Joe Rogan reveals who Jon Jones' 'toughest opponent' since Daniel Cormier is
Joe Rogan believes in Dominick Reyes and his ability against Jon Jones. As with Jones' previous opponents Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos, Reyes hasn't been given much of a chance by fans.
Because of Reyes' controversial victory over Volkan Oezdemir by a decision that many felt he had lost, he isn't viewed as a serious threat. Joe Rogan begs to differ. On an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience (H/T MMA Fighting), he said that Reyes is Jones' biggest threat since Daniel Cormier:
“I believe that Dominick Reyes is the most dangerous fighter Jon Jones has faced since Daniel Cormier,” Rogan said. “I think Dominick Reyes presents a very unique set of challenges. First of all the length. The undefeated record, he is 12-0. There is confidence that comes with undefeated records, and Dominick is extremely confident.
He praised Reyes for his self-belief and said that it's led to him getting emphatic knockouts over Ovince Saint Preux and Chris Weidman:
"He’s a believer in himself and that belief in himself has led him to stop guys like Chris Weidman, to knock out OSP with one second to go. He’s got belief in his power. He’s got legit one-punch knockout power. He has great footwork and movement. He just had the opportunity to see Jon struggle with Thiago Santos [and] he has a style, he can mimic that kind of success, the chopping at the legs.”
He knows that Jon Jones is aware of how dangerous a fight it is for him. Jones said that he chose Reyes over Corey Anderson as he felt the former was a more interesting match-up for him. Rogan doesn't believe that Thiago Santos was a "real threat" to Jones, which is somewhat surprising:
“I think this is a dangerous fight for Jon, but I also think Jon knows it is a dangerous fight for Jon and Jon is a champion. A real champion, the greatest champion the light heavyweight division has ever known. unquestionably, and I think he is going to rise to the occasion. I think we are going to see the best Jon Jones. I think Jon Jones needs a real threat to scare him and work him up, and I don’t know if Thiago Santos was that for him.