Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has officially booked Jon Jones’ next light heavyweight title fight, as “Bones” will take on undefeated contender Dominick Reyes on Feb. 8 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The light heavyweight title fight was originally reported by BJPenn.com last week prior to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto confirming the news with UFC president Dana White.
Bones is back to defend against the undefeated Devastator in H-Town (via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/uwIzGUOwcw
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 22, 2019
Jones, 32, is coming off a close split-decision win over Thiago Santos back in July in which “Bones” looked more vulnerable than ever. Still, the pound-for-pound king ultimately prevailed to earn his second-straight title defense since reclaiming the 205-pound belt last December in a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. Jones has been trying to clear his name after multiple incidents outside of the cage left him to fight just four times from 2014-2017. A victory over Reyes to spark his 2020 campaign will do wonders for Jones as he tries to further cement his legacy as the best MMA fighter of all time.
Reyes, 29, is one of the most talented fighters in the light heavyweight division today. The undefeated youngster is coming off a destructive knockout finish over former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman this past October which pushed Reyes’ Octagon record to an impressive 6-0. The athletically-gifted Reyes should be able to match Jones’ size and strength inside of the cage when the two meet early next year, but it’s still unknown if “Devastator” can show up when it matters most against one of the most experienced fighters in the sport.
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