The TakedownUFC 247: Jon Jones’ pound-for-pound No 1 status under threat with Khabib Nurmagomedov lurking

Jones’ display against Dominick Reyes is more evidence of a plateau as new-gen light heavyweights finally catch up

Khabib is likely to topple the legendary ‘Bones’ should he beat Tony Ferguson in April

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Jon Jones retains his title against Swedish fighter Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in 2013. Photo: TNS

Published: 5:58pm, 10 Feb 2020Updated: 6:57pm, 10 Feb 2020

There is no other way to put it: Jon Jones got away with it last weekend. The light heavyweight champion’s controversial unanimous decision victory against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 sparked long-overdue debates over the judging of fights and the vague criteria that follow.

Nonetheless, Jones (professional MMA record 26-1) broke all sorts of records – surpassing the legendary Georges St-Pierre in most title fight wins in UFC history (14) – and further justified his inclusion in the “GOAT” (greatest of all time) conversation.

But while the 32-year-old’s legacy is cemented in the MMA history books, after a performance like Saturday night’s, his status as UFC pound-for-pound No 1 is under threat.

Jones’ unconvincing win over Reyes – which both UFC president Dana White and commentator Joe Rogan have openly questioned – did not feel dissimilar to his previous title defence against Thiago Santos last summer. In fact, Jones won that one by split decision with many again scoring it in favour of the opponent.

Given that Santos and Reyes are absolute behemoths, Jones deserves credit for somehow leaving both fights with his arm raised. But the fights were tight; even tighter than when we saw “Bones” against the Alexander Gustafsson of 2013.