UFC 247 was another great card put together by Dana White. The Main Event turned out to be one of the most exciting bouts of Jon Jones illustrious career. Dominick Reyes vs. Jon Jones surprised a lot of people by how even of a match up it was. A lot of eyes were opened last night and there is plenty to discuss after the controversial finish.
*SPOILERS, DO NOT KEEP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE RESULTS FROM UFC 247*
The Fight
This fight was heavily promoted as the greatest of all time solidifying his spot as the greatest. Jon Jones was fighting for a UFC record, 14 title fight victories that would surpass Georges St-Pierre’s record. Jon Jones was heavily favored coming in at -500 odds to win as the fight began. Dominick Reyes was the underdog with little chance to compete coming in at +350 odds to win. The narrative of the underdog quickly changed once the fight began. Reyes came out of the gate with force, throwing a barrage of striking combinations along with blocking nearly every leg kick Jones threw at him. Jones is known for taking fighters out of their comfort zone early in fights, and that did not happen. Reyes held the tempo of the first round and landed numerous significant strikes, at this point people realized they had a real competition on their hands. The second round was all about Reyes again. Right as the round began, Reyes was on the attack. He never let his feet stop moving, he kept circling Jones, and made it very difficult for Jones to create any opportunities of his own and made Jones fight very defensively. By the third round, it seemed as if we were going to see a new champ. Going into the third round Reyes was by far winning the fight, and the major underdog was going to shock the world. The third round started the same as the first two, high intensity offense and significant powerful strikes. But at the 3-minute mark of the third round, the fight changed. Reyes was completely out of gas by this point of the fight. Reyes was breathing heavy, his tempo completely changed, and the combinations were not coming. This was when Jones took advantage. Jones began to find his windows and connect on combinations of his own and began to pick apart Reyes. The championship rounds (Rounds 4 & 5 added to a title bout) was the game changer for Jon Jones. Jones had plenty left in the tank and made up the ground he had lost in the last two rounds. Jones successfully had two takedowns in the last two rounds and nearly closed the gap in landed strikes as Reyes was merely staying alive at this point, showing no aggressiveness offensively. Reyes had clearly lost the power in his strikes, as Jones said post fight, “for every 1 punch he landed, I landed 6”, and that is really what it seemed like. Reyes did not have the stamina to land a combination and was throwing one punch at a time allowing Jones to easily dismiss the strikes. The fight went to a decision after 5 hard fought rounds. The total strikes favored Reyes 119-104 and takedowns and control favored Jones with 2/1:41. Jon Jones was named the victor by unanimous decision, which some viewers did not seem to agree with.
Dominick Reyes
Dominick Reyes came into the fight with a 12-0 MMA record, winning nine of his twelve fights via knockout or submission. Reyes was viewed as a rising fighter, with powerful strikes and great footwork. Reyes has a division one football background playing defensive back for Stony Brook, which seemed to really work in his favor with his footwork and body positioning in the fight. This fight really made a name for Dominick Reyes. Reyes showed a lot of people he is not just a guy in the light-heavy weight division, but that he has the skill to be the guy in the division. Reyes really controlled the fight for the first half of the fight. He is the first fighter that has taken the fight to Jon Jones and dictate their own pace. Reyes footwork caused real problems for Jones and did not let Jones set up Reyes the way he usually sets up opponents. If Reyes had a bit more conditioning, we would be talking about the new face of the Light-Heavyweight division. Some people view the fight in favor of Reyes and swear that he should have won the decision. Despite the loss Reyes has championship potential and deserves another shot at the belt. I think his next fight will be Jones vs. Reyes 2 and he will have a very good chance at winning that fight. Jones gave a lot of praise after the fight to Reyes and said that Reyes was a lot better than he thought and earned his respect, something Jones rarely does with an opponent. Dominick Reyes made a very big name for himself after this fight and is a fighter to watch in the next few years.
Jon Jones
Jon Jones has taken another step with his legacy, adding another title defense to his resume. Jon Jones has seemed to meet his match for the first time in a long time. For the better part of a decade, Jones has dominated everyone he has stepped in the octagon with. Jones has successfully won 14 title fights, a UFC record, and holds a 26-1 record. At age 32, he looks like he still has some fights left in him. It seemed that Jones may have underestimated Reyes going into this fight and this could be a reason for the first two rounds going the way they did. Jones defense was key to this fight however, Jones seemed to be blocking nearly every strike coming at him and avoided some heavy shots that could’ve ended the fight right there. In my eyes Jones won that fight in the late rounds but I think everyone wants to see this fight again. Jones has opportunities to compete for a title in another division by moving up to the Heavyweight division which seems to be in limbo with champion Stipe Miocic battling an injury. There are plenty of options for Jones moving forward, but this win makes it hard to say that Jon “Bones” Jones is not the greatest fighter the UFC has ever seen.
The Decision
There has been plenty of debate following this fight. Many casual fans are using the total strikes as the determining factor of the fight, asking how Reyes landed more strikes and still lost. More seasoned fans are debating that Reyes won the first three rounds and it should’ve been judged that way. The right decision was made, however. Reyes may have won rounds 1, 2, and the first 2 minutes of round 3, but Jon Jones dominated the last two rounds and a larger portion of the middle round. The difference in control of the fight from when Reyes was in the lead as to Jones was drastic. Reyes was gassed and just trying to stay on his feet late in the fight whereas Jones was staying aggressive, landing combinations, and shooting takedowns. Longevity in a fight as to matter in a title bout and the two late takedowns really added to Jones’ argument. It was a closer fight than the judges ruled it, as one judge ruled it 49-46, meaning Jones had won 4 out of the 5 rounds which clearly did not happen. But all together Jones earned that fight and Reyes put on a show and deserves all the credit in the world. I don’t see too much controversy from this fight, but many see differently.
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