WATCH: Jon Jones Survives a Devastating Uppercut From Dominick Reyes

After weeks of hyping up the fight, Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes finally met in the octagon at UFC 247. Reyes truly impressed the fans with his performance. In a closely contested bout, Reyes solidified himself has a top contender in the company.

Although he was not advancing much, Reyes fought back at almost every point of the fight. There was no point in the fight where it looked like Dominick Reyes was going to quit. He countered the majority of Jones’ strike with his own. Reyes outstruck Jones in rounds 1, 2 and 3.

Reyes established a fast pace early on in the fight.  He found success early on, catching Jones off-guard at various points in the fight. The significant strike differential in round one was huge. Reyes was targetting the champion’s legs and circling out of danger throughout the fight.

Dominick Reyes caught Jon Jones with an uppercut that stunned Jones

Besides the uppercut, Reyes also caught the champion with head kicks and his left hand at different points of the match.

It looked like Jon Jones was about to be finished after Reyes knocked him down. But somehow Jones survived and shot in for a takedown. Overall, the fight was competitive, with both fighters having their moments. Reyes had success early in the fight whereas Jones had success in the later rounds.

When looked at the fight with just the number of significant strikes thrown, it may appear that Dominick Reyes won the fight. But, MMA is not just based on striking alone. There are factors like aggression, advancement and octagon control which have to be taken into account. Jon Jones was advancing for the majority of the fight.

This is definitely not the final chapter for Dominick Reyes and Jon Jones. It is highly likely that they will meet again in the future as this was the most competitive fight for Jones. Dominick Reyes makes a strong argument for a rematch too. And looking back at his performance, you can’t deny him one.

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