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

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

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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