Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, will defend his 205-pound strap against top division contender, Dominick Reyes, at the upcoming UFC 247 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Feb. 8 inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
And while Jones is widely recognized as the top pound-for-pound fighter in mixed martial arts (MMA), he’s also considered the most reckless, thanks to a history of debilitating eye pokes that some insiders insist is intentional and part of his “dirty” gameplan.
Which is why the UFC 247 referee can expect an earful from Reyes.
“Not much I can do about it except give the referee an advanced ‘hey man, please look out for this, he’s notorious for this,’” Reyes told MMA Fighting. “It’s going to be hard for me to get in. I’m not going to run my face directly into fingers. It’s just another challenge that he presents. It’s a blatant rule break. It’s up to me on fight night to talk to the ref and make him aware.”
If Dana White can’t stop him, no one can.
Jones (25-1, 1 NC) has not competed since his close, split-decision win over Thiago Santos at UFC 239 last July. It was a performance that left Reyes unimpressed and “The Devastator” believes he will pick up right where “Maretta” left off by showing him the “next level” of MMA.
Reyes (12-0), who joined the promotion back in summer 2017, remains unbeaten at 205 pounds with nine finishes, having last defeated former middleweight champion, Chris Weidman, at UFC Boston back in October.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 247 click here.