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Dominick Reyes reflects on Jon Jones fight and what the judges missed

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Mathew Riddle | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 11:46 AM ET

Dominick Reyes is back on top of the UFC light heavyweight division, and he's keen to remind everyone that he arguably beat the best to ever do it.

Then, 12-0, Reyes took Jones to a hard-fought decision at UFC 247 in 2020. A majority of fans and media members scored the fight for Reyes, arguing he won at least three of the five rounds. Despite this, Jones took home a unanimous decision victory.

Adding insult to injury, Reyes endured a three-fight losing streak immediately afterwards. He made a remarkable comeback in 2024, now owning a three-fight finishing streak, and starring in the main event of UFC Perth opposite Carlos Ulberg in September.

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Dominick Reyes reflects on controversial Jon Jones result

Speaking on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Reyes revealed exactly why he believes he beat Jones.

"[I won the] first three [rounds] easily," Reyes reflected on his fight with Jones. "He might have landed two punches in all three rounds. He took me down in the fourth and fifth rounds, but I got up in 1.5 seconds. Like, now that counts as nothing.

"He took me down, wasted energy, I got up and then outed him."

What's more remarkable is the fact none of the judges saw an argument for Reyes, which is especially damning considering Thiago Santos took Jones to a split decision in a much-less controversial result in 2019.

With a victory against Ulberg at UFC Perth, Reyes can once again challenge for the light heavyweight belt, something he might have achieved years ago with a different scoring criteria.

This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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