Jon Jones' former rival, who famously almost beat him, offers an eye-opening breakdown of his personality after stalking his every move ahead of fight
Jon Jones' former rival Dominick Reyes recently offered some insight into the reigning UFC heavyweight champion's psyche and personality. Jones and Reyes fought at UFC 247 in February 2020, with 'The Devastator' famously pushing Jones to his limits before losing via unanimous decision.
After the Jones-Reyes fight, even Dana White admitted that he thought 'Bones' should have lost the contest and joined many others who believed the Californian was robbed of a victory.
Given how close Reyes came to beating Jones, it's no surprise that he has a lot of data on the MMA icon. During a recent interview on the Gypsy Tales Podcast, Reyes opened up about studying Jones in detail before their fight and said:
"I was kind of crazy in my analysis of that opponent. So, I looked at everything. I looked at his childhood, I looked at his high school sports, I looked at his Juco. I looked at his wife, I looked at his kids. I looked at everything, who he was, and how he lived his life, and I followed him all the way until the fight. Everything he said, everything he did, everything anybody said about him [and] anything that any of his family said, I listened, and I dialed in exactly who he was... And I beat him."
Reyes pointed out that Jones' brothers were NFL superstars and excelled in college sports. Pointing out that Jones never held his own against his brothers' achievements, Reyes continued:
"This is my opinion... Growing up, he was the runt of his family... Jon wasn't good at anything... So he had something to prove. That's why he fought with so much vigor and so much power."
Dana White drops major update on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall heavyweight title fight
Dana White recently shared an update on the highly anticipated Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall heavyweight title fight.
After winning the interim heavyweight title against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023, Aspinall defended it once against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 last year and began demanding his chance to unify the belt against Jones. While Jones initially dismissed Aspinall's calls, the Englishman's relentless online trolling appears to have paid off.
During a recent livestream, White addressed a fan question regarding the Jones-Aspinall fight and said:
"Yes, you will [see it happen]. It's coming. Relax."