Tag: Jon Jones

MMA Junkie Radio #3004: Jon Jones-Dominick Reyes reaction, Bellator London recap, more

Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” break down the latest MMA news and notes, including the biggest fight booking of the week.

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On episode 3,004 of the podcast, the guys break down the latest MMA news and notes, as well as unpack Bellator Europe 6 from over the weekend in London.

The rundown

  • It’s official. [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] will defend his UFC light heavyweight title vs. [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] on Feb. 8 in Houston. Is Reyes ready for this massive challenge, or is it too soon?
  • With [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] left on the outside looking in, should they be booked against each other as insurance? It’d be a rematch of a 2015 fight won by Anderson.
  • Bellator Europe 6 took place Saturday and ended with another highlight-reel knockout by [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag], who finished Giovanni Melillo with one punch early in the first round. Afterward, Page called for a rematch with welterweight champion [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag]. Where does Bellator go next with MVP?
  • Did you catch UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] on the set of ESPN “College Gameday” before the Ohio State-Penn State football game? That was cool, wasn’t it? More of this, Stipe.
  • UFC strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] seems to be stirring the pot with [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag]. What do we think of this?
  • [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] is back! Maybe. And he’ll be working with UFC president Dana White! Maybe. What do we make of this?

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at AudioBoom, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Dominick Reyes’ authenticity paid off with title shot against Jon Jones

When it became most difficult for Dominick Reyes to stay persistent with authenticity, he gambled and remained so.

It’s official: [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] is next.

After much speculation and debate, Reyes (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) solidified himself as the number one contender for [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ UFC light heavyweight title. The two fighters are expected to square off at an event expected to be UFC 247 in Houston on Feb. 8.

After picking up a win over Chris Weidman in his first main event at UFC on ESPN 6 on Oct. 18, Reyes told the world he believed he deserved the next title shot. But beyond viability, Reyes didn’t worry about its probability. The decision was out of his control, after all.

“You never really know, to be honest with you,” Reyes told MMA Junkie. “You can only control things you can control. That’s all I really focused on. I can control what I do in this fight. I can control how I live my life. I can control how I react. But I can’t control what other people do or say.

“I tried not to concern myself too much with the goings-ons of other people. I just focused on what I can do and fight the best I possibly can.”

When it became most difficult for Reyes to stay true, he gambled and remained so. Facing criticism he wasn’t “interesting enough,” “promotable enough,” or “different enough.” Reyes elected not to stray from the recipe which got him to the dance: letting his fighting do the talking.

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Throughout his career, the pressure has always been there for Reyes to get the masses on his side. In search of an identifiable medium, Reyes discovered knockouts were successful in gaining fans.

“I’m a good fighter, I’m a good athlete,” Reyes said. “I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m in the upper echelon of the fighters. For me, the hard part in my career has been finding that thing that makes me relatable to the fans. Finding that thing that is going to get people really excited about. I’ve found that knocking people out helps.”

It’s not just fans and media who have questioned Reyes’ ability to be more than just a foil to Jones (25-1 MMA, 19-1 UFC). The UFC light heavyweight champ himself has helped build that narrative. Various tweets posted by Jones over the past month have been critical of Reyes. But when it came time to “decide” who we wanted next, Jones chose Reyes.

In response, Reyes tweeted at Jones calling the matchup “an honor.” Jones wasn’t a fan of Reyes’ compliment in the midst of their usual bickering and let him know. “You started this whole thing talking about party favors and now you’re going to show this fake ass respect?” Jones wrote.

“I think his comments are that he’s just confused,” Reyes said. “He doesn’t know how to take me. He hasn’t met me, I’ve never met him. He doesn’t know whether I’m being cocky or what. I have a tremendous amount of a respect for Jon – a huge amount of respect for Jon. Especially in the cage as a fighter and as a champion. As a person? Not as much.

“But he’s still Jon Jones. He’s still the greatest ever. Pound-for-pound number one, right now. If I fight him, it’s huge. It’s this huge opportunity to fight the best fighter ever. I’m aware of what he is. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. It doesn’t mean when I get in the cage I don’t have a tremendous amount of respect for him. We’re fighting. You’re not my friend.

Reyes continued, “I don’t care – I don’t care who you are or what you did before that. This moment is all that matters and your past means zero to me.”

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Jon Jones to defend UFC light heavyweight title vs. Dominick Reyes on Feb. 8

Jon Jones’ next UFC title defense will be against the opponent of his choice.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] has his next title fight lined up.

The UFC light heavyweight champion will take on undefeated contender [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] on Feb. 8 in Houston, UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Friday.

The race to challenge Jones was between top contenders [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] and Reyes, but Jones made it pretty clear in the last couple of weeks he was only interested on fighting Reyes.

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Jones (25-1 MMA, 19-1 UFC) was last seen in action in July, when he out-pointed Thiago Santos to defend his belt in the main event of UFC 239. The 32-year-old Jackson Wink MMA product remains one of the most dominant champions in the UFC, with his lone loss coming via disqualification against Matt Hamill back in 2009.

Meanwhile, Reyes (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) recently picked up the biggest win of his career. Last month, Reyes scored a first-round knockout over former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in the main event of UFC on ESPN 6. Reyes, 29, sits fourth in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3003: On Shevchenko vs. Chookagian, Adesanya-Costa feud, more

Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” break down the latest MMA news and notes, from fights booked to feuds ramping up.

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On episode 3,002 of the podcast, the guys break down the latest MMA news and notes.

The rundown

  • UFC women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] has her next title defense lined up, and it’ll happen against [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] on Feb. 8 in Houston. We offer our thoughts on the matchup and ponder Shevchenko’s status as one of the all-time great female fighters.
  • Did you see that [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] is set to fight … [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]? Latifi recently announced his move up to heavyweight from light heavyweight, and that’s one hell of an introduction to the division.
  • Question: Would [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] have a better shot in a rematch with UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] than Alexander Gustafsson did his second time around? We discuss.
  • Good news: [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is on schedule with his recovery to return soon. Bad news: We still have no idea which UFC title he’ll defend first – flyweight or bantamweight. Whose decision is it, and what will ultimately be decided?
  • [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] ranted about UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] this week and called him a “p***y African.” That … might be racist?
  • A potential fight between [autotag]Jason Knight[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulie Malignaggi[/autotag] in either boxing or bare knuckle: Is that something we want to see?
  • [autotag]Josh Thomson[/autotag] wants to run it back with [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] for a fourth time, and lobbies for Bellator to make it happen. Are we into it?

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at AudioBoom, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Corey Anderson scoffs at Jon Jones using ‘MMA math’ to prove point about Dominick Reyes

Jon Jones and Corey Anderson are at it again after the UFC champ started it this time.

UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] are at it again.

Jones (25-1 MMA, 19-1 UFC) and Anderson (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) exchanged some jabs on Twitter early Thursday.

Their verbal war has been going on for quite some time, but this battle began after Jones posted a video of Anderson getting knocked out by Ovince Saint Preux in November 2017 at UFC 217.

Using his MMA math, Jones pointed to the knockout as an indicator that Dominick Reyes was the tougher challenge in the light heavyweight division. Saint Preux, whom Jones defeated in 2016, knocked out Anderson, but was “dominated” by Reyes.

Hours later, Anderson responded in an attempt to disprove Jones’ claim. In Anderson’s eyes, he isn’t the same fighter who was knocked out cold by Saint Preux.

Lol come on jony boi you kno how the fight went all the way up to that point. I took my L and learned from it. And barely been touched since. I don’t think I’ve absorbed 100 strikes in last 4 fights combined. And was domdonating that one. You starting to act like a casual..

In a follow-up tweet, Anderson called out Jones’ use of “MMA math.” Additionally, Anderson took a jab at Jones’ “GOAT” status by saying he was more like – well, a different kind of animal.

We got the “goat” out here using MMA math now to justify his scared ways 🤣🤣 Now I’ve seen it out. When goats turning into dogs..a female dog at that. #casual #ufc

While Anderson is coming off a big TKO victory over Johnny Walker at UFC 244 earlier this month, Jones is likely to face Reyes in his next title defense. There has been speculation the meeting between Jones and Reyes will take place Feb. 8 at UFC 247 in Houston, but no official announcement has been made at this time.

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What could’ve been: 10 of the best booked UFC fights that never happened

Conor McGregor vs. Rafael dos Anjos, Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirer, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson, and more make the list.

There have been numerous highly anticipated UFC matchups that have fallen through over the years because of unfortunate circumstances, and they easily could’ve produced fireworks.

From championship fights, to rivalries, to intriguing stylistic pairings, here are 10 of the best scheduled matchups that never ended up happening.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson

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While it appears that another [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] fight booking is imminent at the time of this writing, let’s just hope the fifth time is the charm.

These two were scheduled to fight on four other occasions, but a series of unfortunate circumstances and injuries has resulted in it never happening. The first booking was during The Ultimate Fighter Finale card on Dec. 11, 2015, when Nurmagomedov was forced out due to injury and replaced by Edson Barboza. Ferguson submitted Barboza in the second round via D’Arce choke, earning both “Performance” and “Fight of the Night” bonuses.

They were then scheduled to fight at UFC on FOX 19 on April 16, 2016, but this time it was Ferguson who pulled out. Ferguson was replaced by newcomer Darrell Horcher, whom Nurmagomedov battered before earning a second-round TKO win.

Then, an interim lightweight championship fight was scheduled to take place at UFC 209 on March 4, 2017, but the fight was canceled due to Nurmagomedov falling ill from a bad weight cut.

Finally, the two were set to meet a fourth time. At UFC 223 in April 2018, Nurmagomedov and then-interim champ Ferguson were going to fight for the undisputed lightweight title. But in a freak accident, Ferguson tripped over a wire and blew out his knee. Max Holloway stepped in briefly, but the New York State Athletic Commission deemed Holloway unfit to compete due to a severe weight cut. Al Iaquinta, who was scheduled to face Paul Felder on the same night, stepped in for the massive opportunity but was dominated by Nurmagomedov in a five-round battle.

Nurmagomedov finally realized his dream of becoming the UFC lightweight champ, and here’s hoping the fight with Ferguson will finally come to fruition in early 2020 as expected.

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Jan Blachowicz has three options in mind for his next fight after UFC on ESPN+ 22

Jan Blachowicz isn’t quite sure what’s in store for him after a lackluster win at UFC Sao Paulo.

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] has three names in mind for his next fight after UFC on ESPN+ 22.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag], or maybe [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] are the realistic options in the on-deck circle for Blachowicz.

After he defeated Ronaldo Souza (26-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) Saturday by unanimous decision in the UFC on ESPN+ 22 headliner, Blachowicz (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) took to the microphone and called for a fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Jones.

“I want someone from the top,” Blachowicz said in the cage. “Maybe a title shot. Why not? I’m ready. Jon, let’s do this. Give me the fight. Give me the title shot because I don’t have time. Maybe three more years and I go to retirement. It’s now or never.”

On the ESPN post-fight show, Blachowicz elaborated on his options. He said he’ll have to find out from the UFC what’s available. From there, Blachowicz said he and his team will figure out how to proceed.

“First of all, I have to come back to Poland and talk to the coaches,” Blachowicz said. We have to find a way to do something, so I’m not going to feel like this in a fight. Right now I don’t have answers.”

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A top contender, Reyes has been linked to Jones as being the next 205-pound title challenger. If that’s the case, Blachowicz said he’ll have no problem sitting out and waiting for his shot.

“I will wait for Dominick Reyes or Jon Jones,” Blachowicz said in the post-fight press conference. “No problem. … I’m just going to wait for either from the UFC.”

Another option Blachowicz didn’t rule out is fellow light heavyweight contender Anderson. The American fighter is riding a wave of momentum coming off of a one-sided starching of rising star Johnny Walker at UFC 244 earlier this mont.

Anderson and Blachowicz fought at UFC 191 in September of 2015. Anderson walked away with the unanimous decision victory, but Blachowicz tacks up the loss to luck more than skill.

“Corey will be good – a rematch (with) him,” Blachowicz said. “Because he got a lot of luck in our first fight. I will prove that he was lucky. I (think) it will be a pleasure for me to fight against him also.”

UFC on ESPN+ 22 took place at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The card streamed on ESPN+.

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Off Guard: Dan Henderson recalls conversation with Jon Jones: ‘Get it done and quit screwing up’

Dan Henderson: “I don’t know what his reasons are for screwing up, but I’m sure there’s a way not to.”

TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Dan Henderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] have history.

At UFC 151, Henderson was supposed to fight Jones before he went down with an injury. Jones was offered Chael Sonnen as a short-notice replacement, but turned the fight down and the UFC pulled the plug on the entire event.

Fast forward seven years, and Henderson may finally be going up against Jones – only this time as a coach. Henderson helps train Dominick Reyes, the current frontrunner to be Jones’ next challenger.

MMA Junkie caught up with Henderson at his gym in Temecula, Calif., Dan Henderson’s Athletic Training Center, to discuss the upcoming matchup and more.

Henderson said he has no nostalgic fervor when it comes to Reyes against Jones. He’s not living out the title shot he never got vicariously through Reyes. Despite this, Henderson does feel an increased sense of determination to help Reyes defeat Jones.

“Jon Jones is one of those guys for me – he’s very skilled,” Henderson said. “He’s a wrestler, so I want to root for him. But he’s hard to root for, just because of how he’s represented himself in the sport. He just hasn’t done a good job with that.”

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Henderson explained he has never seen eye-to-eye with Jones, despite the kind of athletic superstar the champion is. Jones’ out-of-the-cage antics have been too much for Henderson, who said he’s told Jones that to his face.

“These are all things I’ve told him to his face,” Henderson said. “Unfortunately, he keeps screwing up. I just said, ‘Hey, you’re in the place where you could represent the sport well and you haven’t done it. Get it done and quit screwing up.’ I don’t know. I don’t know him that personally. I don’t know what his reasons are for screwing up, but I’m sure there’s a way not to.”

As for Reyes, “Hendo” offered up nothing but praise. He talked about Reyes’ attitude and ease in coaching him. He thinks his pupil can win against Jones, but would like to see Reyes get more experience beforehand.

“Dom was coming in here once or twice a week to come train and he’s a good kid,” Henderson said. “He learns really well. I think that’d be a really good fight for him. I would like to see that fight happen after another couple opponents for Dom, but I do think Dom’s capable of beating Jon Jones.”

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As for Henderson himself, he is comfortable in retirement, but that doesn’t mean he’s totally ruled out an MMA comeback. The offer just has to be a good one.

“I’ll always listen to an offer,” Henderson said. “But so far I haven’t had an offer that’s made me get off the couch. I know I’m still capable of beating almost anybody out there on every given day. I just don’t really need to. I’m comfortable with what I did in the sport and what I’ve achieved.

“I’m not real excited about getting my ass in shape now. The preparation is what’s the tough part of the sport.”

Henderson, 49, hasn’t competed since UFC 204 in October 2016. In his final professional bout, Henderson was granted a title shot against then-champion Michael Bisping. Henderson lost by unanimous decision.

Check out Henderson’s full “Off Guard” interview in the video above.

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Anthony Smith: Dominick Reyes is an easier fight for Jon Jones than Corey Anderson

Anthony Smith believes UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones picked an easier fight in Dominick Reyes over Corey Anderson.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] actually picked the easier opponent in [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag].

UFC light heavyweight champion Jones tweeted that he picked Reyes over [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] because he believes he’s the more dangerous fighter, but Smith said he thinks Anderson presents more problems overall.

“I honestly think Jon probably chose the easier opponent between Corey Anderson and Dominick Reyes,” Smith said on UFC Unfiltered. “I think that Reyes is absolutely more dangerous, as far as explosiveness and size and his length. I think he may give Jon some problems on his feet a little bit and Jon will have to dodge some bullets. But look at everybody Jon’s beat – they’re one-dimensional, and that’s what Jon wants.”

The undefeated Reyes (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), is coming off a first-round knockout over Chris Weidman at UFC on ESPN 6 in Boston. Anderson (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is coming off a first-round finish of his own, taking out top prospect Johnny Walker at UFC 244.

Both were in the running for a title shot, but Jones ultimately chose Reyes. However, Smith said that Reyes’ split decision win over Volkan Oezdemir in March exposed some holes in his game that he can see Jones exploiting in the fight.

“Like we’ve seen in the Volkan Oezdemir fight, Dominick Reyes isn’t necessarily dominant on the ground and his takedown defense isn’t that great,” Smith said. “Even though he was able to stuff some of Weidman’s (takedowns) … he did have some improvements there, but Volkan Oezdemir took him down several times and Jon Jones is a much better wrestler than Volkan Oezdemir, that’s for sure.”

In Anderson, Smith sees a more skilled fighter overall who could present more issues to Jones, considering his wrestling ability.

“I think Corey is more well-rounded,” Smith said. “He’s got fundamental boxing. His kicking game isn’t super high level, but he keeps his hands in the right spot. He moves his head well. His wrestling is good. His takedown defense is really good. His top pressure is good. His cardio is phenomenal. Corey presents a lot more problems than Dominick Reyes does, so I do think that Jon picked the easier fight.”

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This insane statistic puts perspective on Patriots’ lockdown secondary

Here’s a disclaimer for NFL teams: Don’t throw a deep ball against the New England Patriots. 

Here’s a disclaimer for NFL teams: Don’t throw a deep ball against the New England Patriots.

Through nine games this season, opposing quarterbacks have a 13.3 passer rating while throwing 21 yards or more in the air, H/T Boston Globe’s Ben Volin. New England has more interceptions (7) than opposing teams have completions (5) when throwing for more than 21 yards.

The second-best team in this category is the Buffalo Bills, who have kept opposing quarterbacks at a 40.6 passer rating. But, they’ve only had 20 pass attempts against them, compared to New England with 44 pass attempts. The Patriots have the No. 2 pass defense in the league currently with 150.2 passing yards allowed per game.

The secondary is primarily composed of Stephon Gilmore, Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, J.C. Jackson, Pat Chung and Duron Harmon. Devin leads the group with five interceptions and Gilmore is second in the unit with three.  New England has a league-high 19 interceptions through nine games and the second-best team has 14.

The Patriots have accumulated a league-high 270 yards from interceptions along with two touchdowns. They’ve been able to create great field position for the offense, while helping hold opposing offenses to an average of 10.9 points per game.

New England struggled against the Baltimore Ravens in a Week 9 loss, but it was mostly due to the run defense. Baltimore had 210 rushing yards against the Patriots and only 162 passing yards.

This secondary has some talented quarterbacks ahead of them with Carson Wentz, Day Prescott, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. It would be an incredible feat if the Patriots could keep these numbers up for the entirety of the season.

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