Tag: Jon Jones

Tito Ortiz thinks he has a good chance to beat UFC champ Jon Jones

Tito Ortiz thinks he has a good chance to beat one of the greatest fighters of all time, current UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones.

[autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] has made quite a bold statement.

Speaking to TMZ, Ortiz, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, said he thinks he can beat arguably the greatest fighter of all time, current UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

“I think I can beat Jon Jones,” Ortiz said. “I think I have a good chance – I really do think I’ve got a good chance. If people say, ‘Oh, Tito, (expletive), you’re over the hill,’ whatever. Come to my camp. Come train with me. Come wrestle with me. Come do jiu-jitsu with me. Watch my weight training. Watch my biking and stairs that I do. I push myself harder than I pushed myself through my whole career. I’m doing amazing. My mind is in the right place, my body is in the right place.”

Ortiz is scheduled to take on former WWE champion Alberto Del Rio in a 210-pound catchweight bout in the headliner of a Combate Americas pay-per-view event Dec. 7 in Hidalgo, Texas.

The UFC Hall of Famer acknowledged Jones is one of the greatest talents to ever step in the cage, but thinks he has tarnished his legacy with his mishaps in and out of the cage.

“He could be the best ever, but I mean, could have – not anymore,” Ortiz said. “He tarnished his career so many times, so much stuff that he did in and out of the cage it just – God, it bums me out because I love the guy, man. He was one of the best light heavyweights to ever grace the octagon.”

Considering Jones’ accolades, where both guys are in their careers, and the fact Ortiz is almost 13 years his senior, Ortiz’s claim likely will be viewed as absurd.

But Ortiz thinks the key to beating the long and rangy Jones is to press forward and take his weapons away from the outside.

“Come on, why wouldn’t I? Pressure, pressure, pressure,” Ortiz said. “You stay in that angle, the outside reach of him, you’ve got problems with it. You can’t just sit there and play his game.”

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MMA Junkie Radio #3005: Khabib vs. Ferguson, VanZant’s gamble, Jones vs. Reyes (and Adesanya)

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

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

On episode 3,005 of the podcast, the guys break down the latest MMA news and notes, with plenty of hot topics to discuss even on a non-event weekend.

The rundown

  • The worst possible outcome has been confirmed, with Walt Harris’ stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, confirmed dead.
  • It seems [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] is on tap. Is there any way this fight doesn’t come together (again)?
  • [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] is fighting out her contract with the UFC. Is this a big gamble on her part?
  • [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] is a massive favorite over [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] for their February contest. Is Reyes being given enough respect?
  • Speaking of Jones, what’s with all this [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] talk?
  • [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] continues to stay in the news. Should he?

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.

Jon Jones opens as sizable favorite over Dominick Reyes ahead of UFC title fight

The oddsmakers are thinking “And still” is the most likely outcome of the UFC’s Feb. 8 headliner in Houston.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] has voiced his self-belief going into Feb. 8, when he defends his title against [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag].

But he’s not the only one feeling confident. According to oddsmakers, Jones’ next title defense once again will be his fight to lose.

According to BetMGM, Jones (25-1 MMA, 19-1 UFC) is more than a 4-1 favorite to beat Reyes (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in Houston at an event that is expected to be UFC 246. at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Jones opened as a -455 favorite in the fight, according to odds set by BetMGM. The comeback on Reyes, the challenger, is +300. A $100 bet on Reyes would pay out $400 (including the original $100) if he wins. A $100 bet on Jones would pay out about $122 (including the original $100) if he wins.

The only times Jones has been this small of a favorite since he first became a UFC champion were his two fights against Daniel Cormier and second fight against Alexander Gustafsson.

Reyes never has been an underdog in his UFC career. Most recently, he closed as about a 2-1 favorite against former middleweight champion Chris Weidman in Boston. He also has been favored in fights against former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir and former interim title challenger Ovince Saint Preux.

Jones most recently was seen in action in July when he outpointed 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 by disqualification against Matt Hamill in 2009.

Reyes recently picked up the biggest win of his career. In October, Reyes scored a first-round knockout over former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in the main event of UFC on ESPN 6. Reyes, 29, is No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA light heavyweight rankings.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship, and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Spinning Back Clique: Is Israel Adesanya inside Jon Jones’ head?

MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” unpack the latest MMA news and notes in Episode 4 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” break down the [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]-[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] rivalry, UFC 246’s two title fights in Houston, what’s next for [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] in Bellator and more.

Show rundown:

  • Jon Jones said he’s done talking about Israel Adesanya. But then he went right back to talking about him. So is Adesanya, the UFC’s middleweight champion, in light heavyweight champ Jones’ head?
  • We’ve got two UFC title fights set for February in Houston. Who’s more likely to lose? Jon Jones against challenger [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag], or women’s flyweight champ [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] against challenger [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag]?
  • What should be next for Michael Page in Bellator after his first-round knockout win over another unheralded opponent?
  • Floyd Mayweather said he’s coming out of retirement – and is going to be in business with UFC president Dana White. So what’s it going to be?
  • During Thanksgiving week, what are we thankful for in the world of MMA?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 4 of “Spinning Back Clique” in the video above.

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Will the beef between Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya ever result in a fight? | Spinning Back Clique

MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, Gorgeous George and Goze react to the latest MMA news and notes, as well as the UFC Sao Paulo results.

MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, Gorgeous George and Goze react to the latest MMA news and notes, as well as the UFC Sao Paulo results.

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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