Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes responded to Jon Jones’s sarcastic ‘rock, paper, scissors’ challenge.
Dominick Reyes and Jon Jones‘s careers will always be linked after their legendary clash at UFC 247. In what was arguably Jones’s toughest Octagon test, he defeated Reyes by unanimous decision, despite many believing Reyes deserved the nod on the judges’ scorecards.
Reyes never got an immediate rematch with Jones as the latter moved up to heavyweight after UFC 247. Jones went on to win the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285, while Reyes lost in his second light heavyweight title fight against Jan Blachowicz.
Five years removed from their UFC 247 clash, tensions remain between Reyes and Jones, especially after Reyes reignited ‘robbery’ calls as he prepares for UFC 314.
Dominick Reyes says Jon Jones is insecure over UFC 247 fight
In a recent podcast interview, Reyes claimed he was ‘mentally and physically stronger’ than Jones and doubled down on his stance that he ‘beat’ the UFC GOAT. This prompted a quick response from Jones on social media, in which he challenged Reyes to a ‘rock, paper, scissors’ match and declared he would beat his former rival in any competition.
During his UFC 314 media day, Reyes responded to Jones’s online taunts.
“In regards to Jon Jones, we’re locked in this moment of time, in history, forever. Whether he likes it or not,” Reyes said of Jones. “It was a legendary fight, it’ll go down in history as a legendary performance by myself, and he’s not happy that people forever are going to say he didn’t win that fight.
“Whatever he has to say is what he has to say, but I know who I am and what happened, and that’s the end of that!”
Reyes will face Nikita Krylov at UFC 314 this Saturday in Miami. A win could move him back into the light heavyweight title mix and one step closer to redemption.
UFC CEO Dana White revealed after Jones vs. Reyes that he had Reyes winning the fight, but that Jones dominated the championship rounds. He initially touted a rematch as the next light heavyweight title fight before Jones opted to vacate the belt.
Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight talks stall as summer slate approaches
Jones is expected to return later this year in a heavyweight title unification bout against Tom Aspinall. The two sides have been in active negotiations with the UFC brass in hopes of making the heavyweight fight happen, but Aspinall has accused Jones of delaying the booking.
Jones successfully defended his heavyweight belt against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, before delaying his retirement plans for at least one more fight in the Octagon. A previously pitched showdown with Alex Pereira was shut down after Pereira’s loss at UFC 313, turning all of the focus to booking the Aspinall fight.
Despite the uncertainty of a forthcoming fight announcement, Aspinall remains optimistic about the Jones fight coming to fruition. The matchup could potentially be targeted for the UFC’s International Fight Week card at UFC 317 in Las Vegas, although nothing is set as of this writing.
