Jon Jones has responded to Dominick Reyes, claiming he has better boxing skills than the reigning light heavyweight champion.
Jones and Reyes are scheduled to headline the UFC 247 fight card this Saturday at the Toyota Center in Houston Texas.
Despite the challenger’s undefeated record, having won six straight fights since his promotional debut in 2017, many believe it will be an easy win for the mixed martial arts great.
‘Bones,’ who has defended the 205-pound title twice since he recaptured it in December 2018, holds the record for the most wins in the UFC light heavyweight history and the most number of title-defences.
After surviving a scare from Thiago Santos on his most recent title-retention bid, fans and pundits alike expect Jones to show off a spectacular performance this weekend.
However, Reyes thinks there is a particular weakness on Jones’ game, which he plans to exploit in order to pull off a massive upset.
Best Boxer
During the UFC 247 athlete panel last Wednesday, ‘The Devastator’ confidently said he is a better boxer than Jones and that his boxing skills is the best at 205 pounds.
“It’s no secret that Jon isn’t the best boxer in the UFC,” he saida (via MMA Fighting).
“He’s a great kickboxer. He has great range. He uses his kicks very well.”
“But he’s not the best boxer. I intend to exploit that.”
Looking to capitalize on his strength, Reyes said his knockout punch would be a cause of concern for the defending champ.
“I think my boxing is probably the best in the division. With footwork and fearlessness, I’ll get in there and put these hands on him.”
“We’ll find out on Saturday.”
“I’m a true southpaw. I got this left hand with me right here. We’ll see what happens.”
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Better Fighter
Showing his brilliance, Jones came up with a clever response on Reyes’ claims.
He said he doesn’t plan to bring the fight on the feet as he is aware Reyes’ boxing skills would be a huge problem.
“He has a tremendous left hand. I’m sure he’s going to work on his right hand, especially because I’ve brought it up so much.”
“But my job is not to go out there and get into a boxing match.”
“My job is to be the better mixed martial arts fighter. Like I said, I’m very aware that his best counters come in boxing combinations and I’m not going to give him what he wants.”
“It’s going to be a mixed martial arts fight.”
“He has power. We can’t deny that.”
“So I’ve just got to respect him tremendously, which I have. We’ve done everything possible that we can do to be strong mentally, spiritually, physically for this fight.”
“He’s a worthy opponent,” Jones ended.
(Featured Image Source: YouTube/ ESPN MMA)