Dominick Reyes, a former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, ripped into Jon Jones for avoiding a rematch after their close 2020 fight and sidestepping a bout with Tom Aspinall. Reyes, who believes he won their fight, accused Jones of lacking honesty and playing games with his recent retirement announcement. Jones, a former two-division UFC champion, gave up his heavyweight title this year but re-entered the UFC drug-testing pool, hinting at a comeback. Reyes called him out for dodging tough opponents.
We can never forget what Dominick Reyes put on Jon Jones in 2020😤
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) June 5, 2024
The 2020 Fight and Reyes’ Frustration
Reyes faced Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title in February 2020 at UFC 247 in Houston. Reyes, then 12-0, landed clean strikes and blocked Jones’ takedowns, pushing him to the limit. The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 for Jones, but 14 of 21 media outlets favored Reyes. On the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast, Reyes said:
“If you guys don’t remember, after that fight I lobbied for the rematch for the entire year, and he dropped the belt and went to heavyweight. Literally, that’s what happened. People forget that, too. He ran from me. He said, ‘You’re not paying me enough to fight that guy – he’s too dangerous.’ That was literally his response.”
Reyes claimed Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in August 2020 to avoid him, citing the risk.
He added, “He does this thing that he does, and he just strings everyone along and lies and tells this and says that. Then he’s smug about it. He’s arrogant. He’s not being genuine, man. We just want a genuine answer out of you, not some bull crap, string everybody along.”
Jones won the UFC heavyweight title in 2023 by submitting Ciryl Gane and defended it against Stipe Miocic. After Tom Aspinall became interim heavyweight champion, calls grew for a unification fight. Jones announced his retirement in June 2025 at UFC on ABC, relinquishing his belt, which made Aspinall the undisputed champion. Weeks later, Jones re-entered the UFC drug-testing pool, suggesting a return for a White House event in July 2026. Reyes criticized this, saying:
“Are you going to fight or not? That’s what everybody is mad about, is he’s just trying to play with all of us. If you’re done, say you’re done. If you’re not done, say let’s go. ‘Put out more money’ or ‘I want this,’ and that’s it. Don’t say, ‘We’ll see – there’s a big announcement coming out,’ and then it’s nothing.”
Dominick Reyes believes he won the first three rounds against Jon Jones and got back up every time he was taken down 💪🔥
“First three easily. He had nothing for me. He might have landed two punches in all three rounds. He took me down in the 4th and 5th rounds, but I got up in… pic.twitter.com/XKK2inQ93S
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 31, 2025
Reyes believes Jones avoids fighters like Aspinall for the same reason he skipped their rematch, too much danger, not enough reward. He told Middle Easy last year that Jones sees Aspinall as a high-risk, low-payoff fight, similar to their situation in 2020.
Dominick Reyes, 35, began his MMA career in 2014, going 12-0 before facing Jones. Born in California, he played college football at Stony Brook University before switching to MMA. After losing to Jones, he dropped three more fights to Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka, and Ryan Spann, all by knockout. He rebounded with stoppage wins over Dustin Jacoby and Anthony Smith last year, improving to 14-4. He’s booked to fight Nikita Krylov at UFC 314 on April 12, 2025, in Miami.Jon
Jones, 38, is a former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion from New York. He won the light heavyweight title in 2011 against Mauricio Rua, becoming the youngest UFC champion at 23. He defended it eight times, beating Daniel Cormier, Alexander Gustafsson, and Anthony Smith. His only loss was a 2009 disqualification against Matt Hamill. Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in 2020, won the heavyweight title in 2023, and retired in 2025 after defending it against Miocic. His record is 28-1.
Reyes still believes he beat Jones and wants the rematch he was denied. His upcoming fight with Krylov could move him closer to another title shot. Jones, despite retiring, is back in the drug-testing pool, fueling speculation about a return. Reyes’ comments keep their 2020 fight in the spotlight, with many still debating the scorecards.
