Rashad Evans gives take on Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes fight

Rashad Evans has weighed in on the conundrum that is Jon Jones’ victory against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247.

The former light heavyweight champion and training partner of Jon Jones tuned into Saturday night’s action at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. In the main event, Jones successfully defended his 205-pound title for the 14th time against Reyes.

The judges’ scorecards resulted in a unanimous decision victory in favour of “Bones”, but “The Devastator” delivered a valiant performance that showcased his skill. In fact, many spectators were left believing Reyes had earned the light heavyweight gold.

During a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan and Evans weighed in on this decision. They agreed that Jones appeared to have won the last two rounds, but Reyes won the first two. They also said that Reyes performed brilliantly in the third round, but the round could have been scored either way.

“There’s aspects of Jon’s games that scored some points, he was always moving forward with the action. Even when he was moving forward with the action, he wasn’t terribly, too offensive,” Evans said to Rogan.

“He would come with his legs, but a lot of times, he would allow Dominick [Reyes] to be the first one to initiate and then moving off, and sometimes it seemed like he [Reyes] was kind of chasing him.

“It was that third round that was the hard round to score. I think that Dom [Reyes] had the edge, but if you’re going to be the champ, you’ve got to be the champ. I don’t think he [Reyes] did that,” Evans added.

Despite being at odds with Bones in the past, Evans has long let go of any animosity and credited Jones on a superb performance.

“Jon Jones impressed me so much with the shots he was able to take, but more or less, the mindset that Jon had,” Evans said. “That mindset that Jon had in those championship rounds. To me, that showed me that Jon, he is the total package.”

Joe Rogan suggested that Dominick Reyes’ significant height and size posed a new threat for Jones. He also said Reyes’ athletic background was reflected in the cage.

Evans also believes Reyes’ physical strength was a quality that Jones did not anticipate.

“He didn’t expect him to be that strong as he was,” said Evans. “For him [Reyes] to get up like he wasn’t even on him… [Jones], like dang!”

Joe Rogan and Evans both believe a Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes rematch is the fight to make. However, they also acknowledge Corey Anderson is the dark horse of the division.

What do you think of these comments from Rashad Evans?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/12/2020.