Daniel Cormier is interested in seeing Dominick Reyes challenge Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title after a main event win Friday at UFC on ESPN 6.
Reyes (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) kept his undefeated record intact when he stopped former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman (14-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) with a first-round TKO in the headlining bout at TD Garden in Boston. Cormier was on commentary duties making the call as it all unfolded.
The pre- and post-fight talk around the contest was that it had the potential to serve as a title eliminator at 205 pounds. Jones (25-1 MMA, 19-1 UFC) does not currently have a fight booked, and Reyes made his statement inside the octagon. Cormier, who is a noted rival of Jones and a former champion of the weight class, endorses the pairing.
“I think it’s a good matchup,” Cormier said during the UFC on ESPN 6 broadcast on ESPN2. “Dominick Reyes has a good body. He showed he can stop takedowns. I think it will be a great fight between those two. I believe this kid is the real deal. He’s done everything right up to this point. I’m really impressed with Dominick Reyes.”
Reyes called his shot at Jones post-fight, arguing that he is the most deserving of all potential challengers for “Bones.” Cormier agrees, citing Reyes’ size as an X-factor that could make the matchup a true challenge for one of the most dominant fighters in the sport.
“He’s healthy after that big fight and Jones just got through his most recent court problems or whatever it was – so why not let him fight?” Cormier said. “(Reyes) has the one key thing that has proven to give Jones pause, and that’s size.”
