Dominick Reyes: UFC is on board, but Jon Jones hesitant to sign up for fall 2020 rematch

Dominick Reyes says there’s a high likelihood he rematches UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in 2020 – but right now, there’s a hold up.

When speaking to MMA Junkie on Wednesday, Reyes (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) said he’s on board for a rematch – and the promotion is, too.

What’s the hold up? Reyes points to Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC). Right now, Jones is all talk, Reyes said.

“I know the UFC is on board,” Reyes told MMA Junkie. “I know I’m on board. The issue is Jon right now. He’s going to say he’s down online, obviously on Twitter. When he gets those contracts in front of him, he’s a little different. That’s where we’re at.”

What exactly does Reyes attribute Jones’ supposed hesitation to? Reyes points to the nature of their UFC 247 matchup. A back-and-forth battle saw both men have their moments for 25 minutes, but Jones was named winner by split decision.

“It was a straight dog fight, brother,” Reyes said. “The last fight was a pure dog fight. I don’t think he wants to do that again. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t think he wants these hands again. He doesn’t want to get in this dog fight with me. That’s where we’re at.”

Despite Jones’ recent run-in with the law, Reyes doesn’t expect negotiations to proceed on a different timeline. However, when news of Jones’ arrest first broke, Reyes was nervous he’d be fighting someone else for the vacant title. Glad that’s not the case, Reyes asserted the importance of Jones being the fighter he beats to win the title.

“Well, (expletive), man,” Reyes said. “I feel like I was wronged on Feb. 8. I’m not OK with that. I’m not just living my life like, ‘Oh yeah. It’s cool. I got robbed. I’m not going to do anything about it. I want to rematch him. I want to fight him again with judges who are a little more competent.”

If the rematch is next, Reyes said it’ll need to happen in the Fall. With the coronavirus pandemic still in full effect, Reyes said he wants to have a proper training camp in the lead-up to his fight.

“We’ve got to wait for all of this COVID-19 stuff and everything, so they can make decisions,” Reyes said. “They have to figure out what they’re going to do with him. Hopefully, they don’t punish him so I can get that rematch pretty quickly, right on my timeline. If not, I’m the No. 1 guy, so we’ll figure it out.

If he had to put a percentage on it, Jones vs. Reyes 2 has a high likelihood of happening in the calendar year.

“I’m pretty damn confident,” Reyes said. “I’m very confident. As for a percentage, I’d say there’s a 90-something percent chance – somewhere in the 90s – that it happens in 2020.”