Victorious or Not? Reyes Disputes Jones’ Win in UFC 247
Jon Jones, often regarded as an indomitable force in the arena, appeared relatively ordinary in the face of Dominick Reyes. Their match remains a key benchmark in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) records. Upon reflection, Reyes maintains that he excelled against Jones on that fateful night — his conviction is that he truly merited the victory. In UFC 247, Jon Jones, the former light heavyweight titleholder, went toe-to-toe with Dominick Reyes in a grueling match that spanned five rounds.
The official verdict, as determined by the judges, went in favor of Jones, much to the chagrin of Reyes. His disagreement with this outcome has been pronounced and unyielding ever since, as he holds onto his belief that he performed adequately to claim the victor’s title. During his dialog on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Reyes shed light on why he felt he outshone ‘Bones’—managing an early lead in the initial three rounds.
‘No contest, the first three rounds were mine. He couldn’t touch me. Maybe two punches landed in those three rounds. Yes, he took me down in the fourth and fifth rounds, but I bounced back up in a matter of 1.5 seconds. His takedown only served to sap his stamina, I regained my standing, and then took the upper hand,” Reyes recalled.
Even after all this time, the Jones versus Reyes bout is an ongoing point of discussion among UFC enthusiasts. Debates continue in full swing over the actual victor of the match. In the mean time, Reyes remains in active competition while speculations swirl around Jones’ career trajectory. Recently, he announced his departure from the sport… only to later insinuate a possible return to the ring.
This certainly implies that the Jones-Reyes saga is far from reaching its conclusion. Furthermore, Jones’ return to the UFC is not your typical comeback. Anticipation has been kindled by rumors of a potential UFC event to be held on the grounds of the White House by 2026. Jones added fuel to the fire by sharing a video of himself crooning Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’, sending fans into a frenzy of speculation.
This intriguing development came on the heels of Jones’ re-entry into the USADA testing pool, giving rise to further precarious conjecture. Once upon a time, Dana White had aspirations for a face-off between Jones and Tom Aspinall in late 2025. However, this idea was shelved when Jones stepped back from the sport.
Given the rising chatter around a prospective UFC event at the White House, it’s not off the mark to suggest that the Jones vs Aspinall combat might be back on the drawing board. The potential of this match-up has already caused a ripple of excitement among the UFC followers. Plus, a recent event further piqued interest: Sergei Pavlovich’s apparent disregard to a handshake offered by Jon Jones at a function in Moscow.