HOUSTON – Dominick Reyes didn’t win at UFC 247 on Saturday night, but if it’s any consolation, his stoke rose in the eyes of many people – including UFC president Dana White.
When speaking to the media in a news conference after the event, White dished on Reyes’ impressive performance, even though it resulted in a unanimous decision loss. He even went as far as to call Reyes (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) “the future of the division.”
“Absolutely, Dominick Reyes tonight looked like the future of the division,” White said. “He looked damn good. Again, Jon Jones has these expectations on him because of who he is and what he’s accomplished. Jon Jones went in there against a very, very, very tough guy tonight. Jon found a way to win.”
In the lead-up to Reyes’ five-round main event against Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC), the challenger was greatly underestimated, White said. Now, Reyes has the attention of the general public.
“Coming into this fight … the only problem with this fight was the general public didn’t realize how dangerous this guy really is and the huge threat he is to Jon Jones,” White said. “He was a 4.5-to-1 (underdog), which is crazy. There’s no way that guy is a 4.5-to-1 underdog. You saw it tonight.”
White expressed the same sentiment to Reyes as he did to the media. Reyes was moved by White’s words. In a sense, the compliments, even in defeat, were vindication of his hard work and self-belief.
“(I’m) extremely proud,” Reyes said. “I’ve been in the UFC for two-and-a-half years. That was only my 13th fight – my first time ever going five rounds. For Dana to say that to me, it means a tremendous amount.”
UFC 247 took place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Dana White after UFC 247: 'Dominick Reyes … looked like the future of the division'
