Jon Jones implores Dominick Reyes to come to terms with UFC 247 fight verdict: "The sooner you accept that, the better athlete you’ll become"
Jon Jones is nearing his return to the octagon after tearing the tendon that connects the pectoral muscle to the bone, delaying his bout with Stipe Miocic which had originally been set for UFC 295 last November. The heavyweight champion has competed just once since vacating the light heavyweight title in 2020.
'Bones' last bout in the 205-pound weight class came when he faced Dominick Reyes at UFC 247, winning the bout via unanimous decision. Despite all three judges agreeing that Jones won the bout, there have been plenty of fans who have claimed that 'The Devastator' was the rightful winner.
The No.13-ranked light heavyweight has also revealed that he believes he won the bout, prompting Jones to reply on X. Jones replied saying:
"Dominic, when you look back at our fight, I don’t want you to ever question me or those judges. Look at your own heart, your own endurance, you didn’t do enough. The sooner you accept that, the better athlete you’ll become."
Jones later added:
"At the end of the day, Dominic trained for years to defeat me. He mentioned that I was always his target from day one. He had the chance. The fight ended with that man trying to survive"
Check out Jon Jones' comments on his bout with Dominick Reyes below:
Reyes had been on a downhill slide following the loss as he suffered three consecutive losses via knockout. He was able to get back in the win column for the first time since UFC on ESPN 6, nearly five years ago, when he defeated Dustin Jacoby via first-round knockout.
What did Dominick Reyes say to prompt a response from Jon Jones?
It has been well over four years since Jon Jones' unanimous decision victory over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. The No.13-ranked light heavyweight recently revealed that he would like to run it back as he believes he defeated 'Bones'. In comments from The MMA Hour, shared by Fight Tale, 'The Devastator' stated:
"But, forever he'll be also known as that he lost to me. Maybe we can figure that out one day. It's not a belief. It's a fact."
Jones reshared the comments, adding:
"What a claim to fame, almost beat John Jones. Got full of myself and literally couldn’t win another fight. 😩"
Check out Dominick Reyes' comments and Jon Jones' response below:
While Reyes believes that he won the bout, the judges scoring it saw things differently. After snapping his four-fight losing skid, the No.13-ranked light heavyweight will have a tall task ahead of him if he hopes to work his way back into contention.