Jon Jones earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Dominick Reyes in the headliner of last night’s UFC 247 event in Houston, Texas.
The win improved Jones’ overall record to 26-1 but did not come without scrutiny.
Many fans and analysts, including UFC President Dana White, had scored the bout in favor of Dominick Reyes three rounds to two (48-47). However, all three judges in attendance ended up scoring the bout for ‘Bones’, with one judge even giving Jones four of the five rounds.
While much was said about last night’s judging, or lack there of, nobody can deny the heart and perseverance shown by Jon Jones yesterday evening.
The longtime light heavyweight kingpin rallied back from a tough opening ten minutes to ultimately turn the tide on Reyes, while swaying the judges in his favor.
“I think it was Gilbert Melendez and I think it was Dominick Cruz, they did an interview where they watched my Thiago Santos fight,” Jon Jones stated. “They watched it without commentary and they also watched it after some time had passed and they got to look at it without all of the emotion. And they realized maybe this fight, maybe Jon really did win this fight. So I think maybe I have set a high standard.”
Jones believes that his immense success has caused fans and analysts to grade him differently.
”Out of thirty fights, maybe three people have put me into an actual competitive match,” Jones said. “Seeing me with black eyes, seeing me get punched is not something that happens every time I show up. So people definitely get really excited, even when an opponent throws a jab. At one point I fell to the ground, I wasn’t hurt and bounced back up, but the fans loved that! So it’s hard when people expect great things out of you at all moments. I’m still a martial artist like everyone else, I bleed, I have insecurities, I have weakness, I have pain right now.”
Jon Jones continued:
“So it’s hard when you’re not only fighting for these records, but you’re also fighting for these peoples approval. You’re fighting to look extraordinary every time!”
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com February 9, 2020