Dominick Reyes taught himself a new technique in the middle of Jon Jones fight

Dominick Reyes failed to swipe the UFC light heavyweight title from Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 247, but he came very close. In fact, many fans believe he, not the champion, deserved the nod from the cage-side judges on the night.

Whatever the case, Reyes impressed pretty much everybody that was watching, giving Jones arguably the toughest test of his career to date. His performance is even more impressive considering the fact that he was apparently learning new things in the middle of the affair.

Speaking to Luke Thomas, Reyes divulged that he tested out a new technique in the middle of a fight with the widely regarded Greatest of all Time.

He says he had never tried stance switching—drifting between southpaw and orthodox—before the contest, but gave it a try when the action was underway. That takes some serious cojones.

https://twitter.com/lthomasnews/status/1227324679146418177

“Dominick Reyes tells me he has never tried stance switching before just doing it on the fly against Jones at UFC 247,” Thomas reported on Twitter. “He says he taught himself how to do it in real time. I’ve never heard that before.”

UFC 247 marked the first time Dominick Reyes tasted defeat as a professional mixed martial artist. That being said, his gusty effort against the champion earned him the No. 15 spot in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, and propelled him up to the No. 1 contender spot in the light heavyweight rankings.

While many fans are now hoping to see a rematch between Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes, it’s not clear what’s next for the two men. A rematch is certainly possible, though an impressive win from Corey Anderson at UFC Rio Rancho this weekend could shake things up.

What do you think the future holds for Dominick Reyes, a fighter who is clearly still evolving, after UFC 247?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/11/2020.