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https://scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3098293/ufc-dominick-reyes-thinks-jon-jones-vacated Mixed Martial Arts
UFC: Dominick Reyes thinks Jon Jones vacated title to avoid rematch – ‘I’m the reason’
- ‘He’s moving to heavyweight because those guys are slow … He can’t keep up with us any more,’ says Reyes
- Former champ ‘Bones’ hits back – ‘for the first time in my career, I’m terrified to have a rematch? If you believe this narrative, slap yourself’
Dominick Reyes battles Jon Jones in their UFC light heavyweight championship bout during UFC 247. Photo: AFP
Dominick Reyes will fight Jan Blachowicz for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 253 next month. But in his mind, that’s only because Jon Jones is running scared of him.
“Bones” (26-1, one no contest), who vacated his belt this week ahead of a planned move up to heavyweight, beat Reyes (12-1) in a controversial unanimous decision at UFC 247 in February. But many fans and media, and even those in the UFC commentary booth, questioned the judges’ scorecards in Houston. That victory gave two-time champion Jones the record for most UFC title fight wins (14), but arrived on the back of another questionable decision win against Thiago Santos (21-7).
Jones’ decision to give up his title came after UFC president Dana White said he’d have to rematch Reyes if he stayed at 205 pounds – something “The Devastator” thought clearly played on the former champ’s mind.
“I think his ego won’t let him admit that I’m the reason,” Reyes told ESPN. “I know he doesn’t want to rematch me. It’s obvious; he vacated the belt.
“You don’t give up something you’re proud of. I win the belt, I’m not gonna be like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna give it up. I’m gonna go up to heavyweight’. No, man, you earned that [expletive]. Like why would you just give it up unless you feel like you didn’t earn it?”
“He’s moving to heavyweight because those guys are slow,” Reyes added. “You do realise that, right? He can’t keep up with us any more. After what me and Thiago did to him, he’s like, ‘Man, I need to go up. These guys are getting too fast, they’re getting too athletic, they’re getting too good’. The heavyweights are still slow.”
Jones evidently got wind of Reyes’ comments, hitting back on social media in a series of tweets by pointing to his rivalries with Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier.
“I literally had to leave it all out there the night I beat Gus, my last fight [vs Reyes] I ended comfortably scoring points,” Jones wrote. “Gus pushed me to a place I have still yet to see again
“Both DC and Gus faced fatalities in our rematches, now for the first time in my career I’m terrified to have a rematch? If you believe this narrative, slap yourself.”