Jones Says Eyepokes Are Coincidences
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones hit back at Dominick Reyes for his concerns about potential eyepokes.
Jones defends his title against Reyes in the main event of UFC 247 this Saturday in Houston, Texas. Ahead of the fight, Reyes recently revealed that he planned on warning the referee in advance of Jones and his eyepokes.
Given his reach, Jones has become notable for poking the eyes of his opponents over the years. However, the champion claims they are purely coincidental given his fighting style.
“I fight how I fight,” Jones told MMA Fighting during the UFC 247 conference call. “I grab for hands a lot, and over the years, I’ve coincidentally landed a few eyepokes. But if you guys think I trained poking people in the eyes, think about how ridiculous that is. We fight with our fingers open, and I can be a very reachy fighter sometimes, and it happens.”
Regardless, referees always look out for “Bones” now and make sure he isn’t extending his fingers when he’s not striking. It’s even reached a point where it’s a distraction.
However, Jones claims it won’t affect the result of his next fight.
“In my last (Alexander) Gustafsson fight, the referee kept saying, ‘Watch your fingers, Jon!’” Jones explained. “My fingers weren’t even out, and he kept yelling at me, which was a major distraction.
“I know Dominick has a problem with the finger stuff, too, and he’s talking about talking to the referee before the fight. None of that stuff’s gonna matter, dude. I feel like the game made a rule that was singlehandedly based around me, and I won’t let that type of stuff matter.”
If his opponents are more worried about his eyepokes than him, however, that’s only a good thing according to Jones.
”I haven’t changed anything about my training style,” he added. “I train very hard, and I don’t train to poke people in the eyes. But it’s good when people are thinking on that type of stuff. That’s good for me. If people are thinking, ‘I’m getting poked and (he’s) getting a free point,’ that type of stuff is good for me. I don’t think about that type of stuff.”
What do you think of Jones’ comments?
