Dominick Reyes has a theory as to why Jon Jones is moving toward lightweight heavyweight, the division that Jones has heard in the UFC for nearly a decade.
The applicants at light heavyweight have simply gotten “too good” for Jones to keep up with, Reyes said Wednesday in ESPN’s video interview with Ariel Helwani.
“He’s moving to heavyweight because those guys are slow,” Reyes said. “You realize that, right? He can no longer stay with us. After what me and Thiago [Santos] did him, he’s like, ‘Man, I have to get up. These guys are getting too hard, they are getting too athletic, they are getting too good. ‘The heavyweights are still slow. “
Jones beat Reyes by controversial unanimous decision at UFC 247 in February. Many felt that Reyes should have put the knot on the judges’ scorecards and lost Jones, who was never beaten in the cage.
Now, the two rivals seem to be going through different divisions.
On Monday, Jones relinquished the UFC light heavyweight title he has held most of the past nine years. Jones said he will get ready to go to heavyweight. Reyes, meanwhile, will face off against fellow Jan Blachowicz at UFC 253 on September 26 for the low belt.
“I think his ego does not let him admit that I am the reason [he moved up], “Said Reyes.” I know he does not want to upset me. He gave up the belt. You do not give up anything you are proud of. … You deserve it —. Why would you just give it up unless you feel you do not deserve it? “
Reyes said earlier this month that he signed a blank contract to fight at UFC 253. No opponent was listed. It could have been a rematch with Jones for the title if Jones accepted. The other possibility was an interim title fight with Blachowicz.
Eventually, Jones decided to give up the belt in favor of weight gain. In any case, Reyes said, it must have been some sort of title fight for him to vote to fight in just over a month.
“The whole point, though, is to get the belt,” Reyes said. “I wish I could not hit Jon right now. But I will catch him. I will catch him later.”
Reyes said he thinks Blachowicz is a “more dangerous” opponent than Jones would be for him, citing Blachowicz’s great knockout power and grounding as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“Jon does not counter, has no power, and he is not technical,” Reyes said. “He’s just annoying.”
Reyes (12-1) has the same record that Jones did when Jones won the title in 2011 by defeating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Reyes stood 6-0 in the UFC with four finishes before his game with Jones. At 30, he has been hailed by many, including UFC president Dana White, as the future of the lightweight heavyweight division.
As Reyes Blachowicz strikes to become champion, he said he thinks there is a chance Jones could see dollar signs in a light heavyweight title rematch and return to £ 205 for a big pay-per-view headliner. But if that does not happen, Reyes said he is comfortable with the fact that Jones may no longer be in his future.
“At this point, I’m really not giving any s — about Jon Jones,” Reyes said. “He is currently irrelevant to my life. … We will see what the future holds, my friends.”
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