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Dominick Reyes will be getting another crack at the UFC Light Heavyweight gold in over a week as he takes on Jan Blachowicz for the vacant title. Jon Jones has held dominance over the 205-pound division for a long time, but many fans, fighters, and members of the media felt that Dominick Reyes had done enough to defeat Jon Jones at UFC 247.
Unfortunately for Dominick Reyes, the judges saw it differently and awarded the decision to Jon Jones. With Jones now moving up to Heavyweight to win a second title, Dominick Reyes wants to be the man to have a long-standing dominance over the 205 lb division.
Speaking to the media (H/T MMA Fighting), Dominick Reyes revealed that he has no interest in going up to Heavyweight to chase Jon Jones:
“I got no interest in going up to heavyweight,” Reyes said at the UFC 253 media day. “If anyone wants to come down or up, I’m all for it. But I’m a light heavyweight, I’ve always been a light heavyweight, and I’m not going anywhere."
Dominick Reyes is, however, open to fighters from higher and lower weight classes meeting him at Light Heavyweight.
“I’ll face whoever wants to come to 205 and fight,” Reyes said about challenges from other division, including a hypothetical bout with Israel Adesanya. “If they want to come down from heavyweight, if they want to come up from middleweight, I’ll fight ‘em. Light heavyweight’s my division, and I’m about to prove it for a long time.”
Can Dominick Reyes do justice to the Light Heavyweight division?
While Dominick Reyes may not be as big a star or draw as Jon Jones is, the big question is as to whether he can dominate the division the way Jon Jones did. The first hurdle is a difficult one, as Jan Blachowicz has made a significant comeback since losing to Thiago Santos.
The overall talent in the Light Heavyweight division is growing, though one could argue that it still isn't as stacked as it should be. There was a Middleweight to Light Heavyweight exodus involving Jacare Souza, Chris Weidman, and Luke Rockhold - all of which ended in devastating defeats for the top Middleweights. Jan Blachowicz holds wins over Luke Rockhold and Jacare Souza.
