I think UFCs 205 div needs a new champ! ( One thats not forever in trouble!)
I think me and Reyes deserve to fight for that belt! @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 @ufc @DomReyes @UFCBrasil @Alexdavismma @espnmma— Thiago Marreta (@TMarretaMMA) March 26, 2020
Much has been said in the MMA community about Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, but a former opponent has something else in mind.
On Thursday, Thiago Santos (21-7) wrote on Twitter that he is ready for the UFC to move on from Jon Jones. He called for a title fight with Dominick Reyes (12-1), another man who recently faced Jones. Both men recently took Jones to very narrow decisions, and lost in bouts that some claimed the two men won their respective matchups.
Santos wrote, “I think UFC’s 205 div needs a new champ! (One that’s not forever in trouble!) I think me and Reyes deserve to fight for that belt!”
Jones was arrested on Thursday night and charged with multiple offenses including an aggravated DWI and the negligent use of a firearm. The arresting officer’s report claimed that not only did Jones “perform poorly” in sobriety tests, but also tested more than twice above the legal limit in a Breathalyzer administered to the champ. The police found a handgun under the driver’s seat and a bullet casing outside of his car door that matched the firearm, as well as a half-empty bottle of Recuerdo behind the passenger seat.
Jones is scheduled for his bond arraignment hearing on April 8, according to ESPN. Meanwhile, the UFC has reportedly been in contact with Jones’ team, and is investigating the matter as well.
Jones has been stripped of the title on multiple occasions through his UFC tenure. He first lost his belt in 2015 after crashing into a pregnant woman in a hit-and-run. “Bones” made his way back to the top of the division on his return, and captured an interim strap against Ovince St. Preux in 2016, but again lost it when he failed a pre-fight drug test.
Once more, Jones came back in 2017 and recaptured light heavyweight gold, only to fail another drug test and have the title wrested from his hands a third time. When returning in December 2018, Jones finished Alexander Gustafsson in the rematch to take the undisputed title, and he has defended that belt three times along that span against Anthony Smith, Santos and Reyes.
Santos last stepped foot inside the Octagon in July 2019, when he dropped a split verdict to Jones at UFC 239. Suffering a major knee injury involving multiple torn ligaments in his knee, “Marreta” has been recovering ever since and is aiming to get back to fighting soon.
Reyes rode an undefeated record at 12-0 into his 205-pound title affair with Jones at UFC 247 in February. Of all Jones’ opponents throughout his career, Reyes landed the most significant strikes with 116 compared to Jones’ 104. Many including UFC President Dana White scored the bout for “The Devastator”, and a potential rematch may have been on deck. With Jones’ arrest, the future is uncertain for the light heavyweight division, but Santos is ready to move forward by taking on Reyes.