Dominick Reyes Will Warn Referee About Jon Jones Eye Pokes At UFC 247
Dominick Reyes truly believes he’s going to shock the world on February 8 and become the first man to legitimately defeat Jon Jones inside the Octagon.
Jones puts his 205-pound strap up for grabs against Reyes in the UFC 247 pay-per-view (PPV) main event on February 8 from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. “Bones” has remained very active since seemingly resolving his past issues with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Last year he picked up wins over the likes of Alexander Gustafsson (in December of 2018), Anthony Smith, and Thiago Santos.
Reyes earned his way into the title picture with an undefeated record of 12-0, including victories over the likes of Jared Cannonier, Ovince Saint Preux, Volkan Oezdemir, and ex-middleweight king Chris Weidman, the latter of which being a vicious first-round knockout win. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Reyes discussed his upcoming bout with the pound-for-pound best in the business. The topic of Jones’ history with eye-poking his opponents came up.
While Reyes understands sometimes there’s not much a fighter can do after getting their eye poked, he adds that he will be giving the referee an advanced warning to look out for Jones’ extended fingers.
“It’s something where it is what it is. Not much I can do about it except give the referee an advanced “hey man, please look out for this, he’s notorious for this,” Reyes said. “It’s going to be hard for me to get in. I’m not going to run my face directly into fingers. It is what it is. It’s just another challenge that he presents.
“I think more than just the fingers being outstretched is that he stays busy with that lead hand. I think that’s what keeps guys at bay, he paws with it and he paws exactly at his range. That’s been a gigantic weapon of his. It sets up the rest of his arsenal. It helps him find his range.”
Reyes understands that it’s a blatant rule break to come out with one’s fingers extended, which Jones tends to do often to maintain distance between himself and his opponents. However, he will make sure the referee is looking out for this come fight night in Houston.
“It’s a blatant rule break. You can’t do it. It’s in the rules,” Reyes said. “It’s been talked about many times. Either you’re going to do it or you’re not going to do it. It’s up to me on fight night to talk to the ref and make him aware.”
While Reyes would much rather win the fight with Jones in dominant fashion, it doesn’t sound like he’d mind winning the title from “Bones” on the scorecards, especially if points are taken away from “Bones” for eye pokes or keeping his fingers outstretched.
“This is a championship fight. I’ll win however the hell I can,” Reyes said. “You’ve seen “The Waterboy.” It’s the championship game, you can’t hold anything back. There’s no holding back. I’ll take it however I can get it.
“Listen the rule is we’re taking a point away, that’s the rule. If he’s going poke me in the eyes, now I’m compromised, that gives him a huge advantage. If I can’t see, if half my vision’s gone, that’s point worthy.”
What do you think about Reyes being concerned with Jones’ eye pokes? Do you think this will be a problem in the fight?
