Dominick Reyes wants Jon Jones next, but would take Jan Blachowicz for interim belt
Dominick Reyes is still hoping for a rematch against UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, but he would take an interim title fight with Jan Blachowicz.
Reyes lost a contentious unanimous decision to Jones at UFC 247 in February, a fight that many fans and media members felt he won, not to mention UFC president Dana White. There was talk of an immediate rematch, but when Jan Blachowicz knocked out Corey Anderson at UFC Rio Rancho with Jones in attendance, the Pole jumped to the top of the line in the UFC light heavyweight title picture.
When Jones was arrested for a DWI and gun charges, there was talk that the UFC could potentially stripe him of his title or create an interim belt. After Jones settled on a plea deal with prosecutors in New Mexico, there hasn’t been any sort of discussion about what’s next for Jones. It seems unlikely Jones will see his belt stripped, but it’s still on the table.
Speaking to MMAFighting.com’s Mike Heck, Reyes said that his goal is still to have a rematch against Jones, but he’s open to fighting Blachowicz for an interim title if Jones is stripped.
“I think (Blachowicz) is a fantastic fighter. I think he’s one of the most technical guys in the division. I think he has some really good power. I think he’s just a technical beast and he has a lot of experience to where he’s wise with his technical ability. I’ve been wanting to fight Jan since I beat Jared Cannonier. I don’t know if you guys know or remember, I called him out right after the fight. This is a guy I’ve been wanting to fight for a minute, so if there’s an interim then yeah, hell yeah, let’s do it. But I think we’re gonna get that rematch (with Jones) first,” Reyes said.
With the UFC schedule slowly returning to normal as restrictions from the coronavirus outbreak lessen, look for the UFC to book Reyes in his return fight sometime later this summer or fall. Whether that’s against Jones or Blachowicz remains to be seen.
Would you rather see Dominick Reyes fight Jon Jones or Jan Blachowicz next?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 4/27/2020.
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