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Dominick Reyes came oh-so-close to capturing the light heavyweight title from Jon Jones in the UFC 247 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, thanks to a stellar performance in the first half of their five-round title fight (highlights here).
Then “The Devastator” appeared to coast in rounds four and five, widely known as the “championship rounds” despite being in place for all UFC main events. Whether he was trying to run out the clock or simply ran out of gas is known only to Reyes.
“Bones” has his own theory.
“Dom completely stopped fighting in the championship rounds and has the audacity to be mad at the judges,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “Don’t be mad at the judges, be mad at Dom’s conditioning guy. Man started to give up when the water got deep and is now going around doing interviews talking about being robbed. When will these young boys start taking responsibility, that’s what’s wrong with boys these days.”
Reyes insists he’s the “People’s Champion.”
Probably because the judges inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, were so erratic with their decisions. Not just in the Jones-Reyes main event, but some of the other bouts were victimized by nonsocial scorecards, as well.
Even with the controversy stemming from UFC 247, Reyes is unlikely to get a light heavyweight rematch anytime soon, as the promotion is expected to name the next 205-pound title contender at the conclusion of this event.
Stay tuned.