UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones admitted that he almost gave up on his light heavyweight title fight against compatriot Dominick Reyes.
Recall, the fight between Jones and Reyes headlines the UFC 247 tournament, which took place in February 2020 in Houston (USA). In this confrontation, Jones won by unanimous decision of judges.
He hit me with like a spinning back kick to the face and then he punched me in the stomach and I hit the floor and it was technically a knockdown. He was the only other person to do it to me outside of [Alexander] Gustafsson. I remember thinking to myself, ‘F—k. You may have met your match, Jon. It’s okay if you come up short in this one. Just don’t let him knock you out.’
Jon Jones on Kanpai Pandas' YouTube channel
Jones last stepped into the octagon against Ciryl Gane in March of this year at UFC 285. That fight ended in Jones' favor with a first-round choking submission. Thus, he won the championship belt in the heavyweight category. He has 27 wins and one defeat.
Reyes last stepped into the octagon in November at UFC 281, losing to Ryan Spann by first-round knockout. He has a total of 12 wins and four losses under his belt.