Jon Jones is still the UFC’s light heavyweight champion of the world.
Jones put his title on the line against Dominick Reyes in the UFC 247 pay-per-view (PPV) main event from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The fight went all five rounds in what was an instant classic. However, when it was all said and done, the Texas judges awarded Jones the unanimous decision victory. This was much to the disappointment of the mixed martial arts (MMA) community, who largely felt that Reyes did enough to get the nod.
With that being said, no one can deny that it was one of the hardest fights Jones has ever been a part of. However, it isn’t the most difficult he’s ever been a part of, according to Jones himself. Speaking to Aaron Bronsteter after the event, Jones said he thinks his first fight with Alexander Gustafsson in 2013 was more difficult.
“I think the first Gustafsson fight, honestly,” Jones said. “Just based on – well it’s hard to base it on anything, I haven’t seen the fight yet. But I would say the first Gustafsson fight was a little bit tougher.”
Reyes came out very fast against Jones, throwing hard shots and fighting very aggressively. The strategy seemingly worked well, but as Jones pointed out, Reyes showed his hand early, and he began to deal with things a lot better as the fight went on.
“Yeah, he did, but he also showed me what his best weapons were, and as you saw the fight go on, I started to deal with them a lot better,” Jones said.
The fight was undoubtedly close, and Jones was well aware. However, he also knew that the takedowns he landed in the fight, and the fact that he ran away with the fifth and final round, should’ve been well reflected on the scorecards and earned him the victory.
“I honestly didn’t know, I knew it was close, but I knew my takedowns had to count form something,” Jones said. “Takedowns, we know, aren’t always the most exciting thing, but they’re big points in MMA. And at one point I had his back with a hook in. I took him down to his butt on more than one occasion. At least two or three times, the fifth round was so one-sided. I feel good about the win, I just can’t wait to see it.”
There has been a lot of talk about an immediate rematch between the pair given the scoring controversy and how close the fight was. Jones said he won’t be able to make a determination on that until he has sat back and seen the fight.
“It’ll be easier to say that after I watch the fight.”
What do you think about Jones’ comment that his first fight with Alexander Gustafsson was more difficult than his fight with Reyes?