Breaking: Jon Jones (@JonnyBones) vs. Dominick Reyes (@DomReyes) to officially headline UFC PPV on Feb. 8 in Houston, per UFC president Dana White (@danawhite). More on @ESPN shortly.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 22, 2019
The trip to Houston for the Ultimate Fighting Championship just got a whole lot bigger with a light heavyweight title fight on top.
Jon Jones (25-1, 1 NC) will be defending his light heavyweight throne against Dominick Reyes (12-0) at UFC Houston. While currently billed as UFC 247, in the event that the promotion is unable to secure a suitable headliner for their bout slated as UFC 246 in Las Vegas, this card may be renumbered to UFC 246 and the Las Vegas card turned into a Fight Night event. The matchup was first reported by ESPN on Friday, coming from UFC President Dana White.
Jones had previously hinted at this bout one week ago, posting on social media that his upcoming opponent had something in common with Ryan Bader and Daniel Cormier — that being their undefeated records prior to facing Jones. Jones has lost once as a professional, although it was by disqualification against Matt Hamill in 2009. “Bones” has since posted a 17-fight unbeaten streak — the longest of its kind in UFC history — with his rematch with Cormier in 2017 marred with controversy. After finishing Cormier with strikes, Jones failed a post-fight drug test, and his win was overturned to a no-contest. Since reclaiming his light heavyweight belt in December by knocking out former foe Alexander Gustafsson, Jones has captured decisions over Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos.
“The Devastator” has yet to taste defeat as a professional, while beating nine of his 12 opponents inside the distance. In six bouts inside the Octagon, Reyes has won all six, including four stoppages, with his most recent a first-round knockout over former middleweight Chris Weidman in October. The one-time Legacy Fighting Alliance standout punched his ticket to the UFC with a highlight reel head kick knockout of Jordan Powell in 2017, where he was signed shortly thereafter.
UFC 247 will take place on Feb. 8 at the Toyota Center in Houston. Also appearing on the card will be a light heavyweight battle between Ovince St. Preux and Ryan Spann, while Andrea Lee and Lauren Murphy will square off at flyweight. A heavyweight scrap between Juan Adams and Justin Tafa has also been reported recently.