Dominick Reyes revealed what shocked him about fighting UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones this past weekend.
Reyes took Jones to his limit as they fought the full 25 minutes in the UFC 247 headliner on Saturday night. Many thought “The Devastator” did enough to win the fight, especially after his performance in the first three rounds where he connected on Jones several times.
However, “Bones” was able to snatch the win via unanimous decision after a strong second half of the fight to retain his title. But regardless of whether one thinks the result was wrong or a robbery, Jones certainly displayed the heart of a champion and Reyes did offer notable praise for his ability to take a shot:
“Well, first of all, shoutout to Jon,” Reyes said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday. “His chin was amazing in this fight. He really doesn’t get enough credit for his chin.
“I was hitting him with some bombs and he knows it, we know it. So shoutout to Jon for his chin.”
Reyes went on to add that he felt he had Jones on the ropes several times during the fight. But what really impressed him was the toughness of the champion:
“The biggest thing that surprised me was his toughness,” Reyes added. “Incredible toughness. I was ripping the body and he was just, he had quite the poker face, man. That shocked me.”
Despite his praise, Reyes still feels he won and believes deep down, Jones knows he won as well.
“As a fighter, you know how the rounds go,” Reyes explained. “You know exactly what happens. He knows I won. Deep down in his heart, he knows I won.
“And him being Jon Jones, a great martial artist himself, I feel like he would want a rematch for his own mind knowing that I won that fight.”
Maybe a rematch is what we end up seeing next.
Were you also surprised by Jones’ chin and toughness?