HOUSTON – Dominick Reyes has relished every moment of the build-up to his UFC 247 title fight against Jon Jones and believes he has the upper hand going into fight night.
Jones (25-1 MMA, 19-1 UFC), the reigning light heavyweight champion, is a highly analytical fighter who begins the mental tug of war from the moment contracts are signed. Reyes (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has experienced that first hand over the past couple of months and said he’s enjoyed it.
Jones has gone after Reyes on different levels, and the challenger thinks the obsession has given him an advantage going into his showdown with one of the sport’s pound-for-pound greats.
“The guy loves me,” Reyes told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I’m his favorite fighter. He spends all his time on my social (media). That’s good for me. I’ve got a fan in Jon Jones. I’m not worried about that. The funny thing is he thinks he knows me as a human being. He thinks he knows me as a person. He tries to put me in this box of, ‘Oh, this guy has had everything his whole life. He went to college, he has degrees, he’s an athlete. He thinks he’s better than me.’ You don’t know anything about anything.
“You think you know me, but you don’t. Or do you? It’s a mind game. I take confidence from him saying these things about me because he thinks he knows me, he thinks he has me all figured out, but he has no idea. He knows what I allow him to know. He knows what I show him. It’s pretty cool.”
Jones said he thinks he’s got his opponent well scouted, and for Reyes, that’s music to his ears. Jones might have spent weeks looking into every layer of Reyes’ life and fighting style, but Reyes said he’s been looking at Jones much longer.
Reyes has been preparing for this opportunity since long before Jones even knew of his existence, and he expects that to play to his advantage when they finally share the octagon.
“I’ve been studying Jon from the beginning, since I started,” Reyes said. “It’s no secret he was the champ when I started. I fully respect him, but what he’s done in the past means nothing for this fight. It’s irrelevant. He’s changed, he’s evolved over the years. He’s become a smarter fighter, a more technical, plotting fighter. That’s how you stay champ for a long time.
“You look at your opponents and address what they’re good at and beat them there and nullify their game. That’s what he’s done. He’s been very good at it. But a guy like me, you don’t know what I’m going to come out with. There’s not enough on me. I don’t even know how to beat me. I’m so fresh in this game and changing so much every day.”
UFC 247 represents Jones’ 15th consecutive fight with a title on the line, dating back to March 2011. For Reyes, however, it’s his first contest of this magnitude. He’s very confident he can dethrone one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, and Reyes said the key to making that happen is to ensure he doesn’t hold anything back once they come face to face.
“I’m going to go out there and fight with no regrets,” Reyes said. “I’m not going to have regrets after this fight. No matter what happens, I’m not going to regret this – ever. I’m putting everything into this. We’re going to go to the center of the octagon, and I’m not going to give him anything. If he wants anything, he’s going to have to take it. I’m not giving anything away.
“Everything has to be taken, and that’s how we’re fighting this fight. And he’s not going to give me anything, either, so I’m going to have to take it.”
UFC 247 takes place at Toyota Center with Reyes vs. Jones set to headline the pay-per-view main card following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
Dominick Reyes embraces mental warfare with Jon Jones: 'I'm his favorite fighter'
