Dana White says Dominick Reyes is next for Jon Jones

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has a few options for his next title defense. A rematch with Thiago Santos is possible. Corey Anderson has asserted himself as a top contender. The winner of the upcoming fight between Jan Blachowicz and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza will be right there… the list goes on.

According to UFC President Dana White, however, undefeated contender Dominick Reyes will probably get the call to fight Jones next. Reyes is riding high on a big knockout of former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, and apparently also generated solid viewership numbers for that fight.

“The fight that makes sense for Jon Jones right now is Dominick Reyes,” White told TMZ. “He just came off an impressive win over Weidman and a lot of people saw it. It pulled good ratings on TV. It’s the fight to make.”

Prior to his fight with Weidman, Dominick Reyes defeated Volkan Oezdemir by decision. That win was preceded by a dominant showing against long-time contender Ovince Saint Preux.

Jon Jones, meanwhile, last fought in July, when he defeated the unheralded Thiago Santos with a shockingly competitive split decision win. This victory was preceded by a lopsided decision win over another former middleweight in Anthony Smith, and a TKO defeat of long-time rival Alexander Gustafsson. That win over Gustafsson marked Jones’ return to the cage after a lengthy hiatus.

It’s not clear when this Jones vs. Reyes fight will occur, but sometime in the first quarter of 2020 seems likely, as the remainder of this year’s cards are all booked to capacity.

Do you think a fight between Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes is the right move?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/4/2019.