Jon Jones believes Dominick Reyes suffers from the mentality of “being a big fish in a small pond.”
The UFC light heavyweight champion intends to explore and exploit that theory when he puts his title on the line against Reyes in the main event of UFC 247 at the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday night. The co-main event pits Valentina Shevchenko putting the flyweight title on the line against Katlyn Chookagian.
Jones heard confident talk from the likes of Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith in 2019, only to escape the Octagon with his title in tow each time. “Bones” told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani earlier this week that “it’s a really good chance” that he’ll be moving up to heavyweight and that he feels like he could beat UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic once he does.
All that’s standing between Jones (25-1-0, 1 no contest) and that jump up in weight is a game Reyes, who will look to stop the man who’s widely regarded as the greatest of all time in mixed martial arts.
Considering the history of Reyes’ body of work — 12-0 with seven knockouts — “The Devastator” — may look to those heavy hands to record the upset.
Will Jones once again prove that there are levels to his MMA skills, and that every other light heavyweight is inferior to him? Or will Reyes forcefully show Jones and the MMA world that he has the skills and power needed to dethrone the GOAT?
Here is everything you need to know about UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes.
UFC 247 takes place Saturday, Feb. 8, with the pay-per-view portion beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Dominick Reyes and Jon Jones are expected to hit the Octagon around 12:15 a.m. ET.
The UFC 247 pay-per-view, which includes Valentina Shevchenko vs. Katlyn Chookagian in the co-feature, and Jon Jones against Dominick Reyes in the main event, is on ESPN+.
The UFC 247 pay-per-view price is $64.99. A subscription to ESPN+ is also needed to watch the event.
UFC 247 goes down at the Toyota Center in Houston, home of the NBA's Houston Rockets. Neither Jones nor Reyes has ever fought in Houston — let alone Texas.
Bovada lists Jones as a -500 favorite, meaning that you'd need to shell out $500 to win $100. Reyes, to no one's surprise, is a +350 underdog. If you'd bet $100 on Reyes and he pulls off the upset, you'd bank $350.
Name: Jon Jones
Nationality: American
Born: July 19, 1987
Height: 6-4
Reach: 84.5"
Total fights: 27
Record: 25-1, one no-contest
Name: Dominick Reyes
Nationality: American
Born: Dec. 26, 1989
Height: 6-4
Reach: 77"
Total fights: 12
Record: 12-0
Main card
Preliminary card