Jon Jones is undeniably one of the most talented fighters to have ever set foot in the cage, but even he had a moment of doubt, when an undefeated opponent pushed him to his limits.
While possessing remarkable powers of creativity, his dynamic strikes didn’t have the same impact on a relentless foe.
Jon Jones confesses he nearly gave up against Dominick Reyes
While Jon Jones is considered by many as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, he very nearly fell foul to one of the biggest upsets the sport has ever seen.
In front of a stunned crowd at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, USA, Dominick Reyes, produced a special performance, picking apart the favorite with his pinpoint accuracy.
Throughout his UFC career, Jones has had it pretty much all his own way, cruising past most of his opponents with his superior skill.
But when Reyes put him on the canvas, he had to dig deep to get back into the contest.
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In an interview with OverDogs Podcast, Jones said: “I was fighting Dominick Reyes, and it was in round one; he hit me with a spinning back-kick to the face, and he punched me in the stomach, and I hit the floor ― technically a knockdown.
“He was giving me a true f***ing run for my money. He was the only person to do that to me outside of Alexander Gustafsson.
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘F**k, you may have met your match Jon, you’ve had a great career, just don’t let him knock you out, let the kid have it’.
“It’s a decision to give up on yourself. Then another voice, as clear as the first, said, ‘F**k that’.”
Ultimately, Jones managed to make the bout competitive and retained his belt via decision. However, in the eyes of mixed martial arts fans around the globe, Reyes ought to have walked away with his hand raised, with the judges receiving massive criticism in the aftermath of the fight.
Dana White makes interesting comments about the Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes fight
In recent times, Dana White has made a reputation for heaping praise on Jones at every given opportunity.
He particularly, brings up the fact that, on paper, the New Yorker hasn’t lost outside of a DQ to Matt Hamill.
Therefore, his conduct in the aftermath of Jones vs Reyes was extremely interesting.
The UFC CEO made a comment that suggests his number one pound-for-pound of all time, should potentially have a second defeat on his record.
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