Despite scoring the UFC 247 headliner in favor of Dominick Reyes, Daniel Cormier sees how Jon Jones could have won the fight.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) retained his title Saturday night with a unanimous decision win over Reyes (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC).
It was a tightly contested bout. Reyes came out strong in the first three rounds, but Jones rallied late. The scores were all over the place, but ultimately Jones got the nod on all three judges’ scorecards – including a controversial 49-46 from one judge.
Former UFC dual-champ and analyst Cormier scored the fight 3-2 for Reyes, but is not outraged by the decision.
“Close fight. I see it 3-2 but wouldn’t be surprised if it went the other way!”
Jones was able to briefly get Reyes down but struggled to keep him there. He was narrowly outstruck over the course of five rounds, but left a lasting impression on the judges’ eyes by continuing to press forward throughout the fight, where Reyes looked visibly tired at the end.
And bad blood aside, Cormier, who’s been in there with Jones twice already, sees how Jones could have gotten the decision.
“Not robbery. Close fight, could have gone either way. 3-1 or 2-2 going into 5th. I thought 3-2 Reyes but the fight was so close it could have gone either way.”
