Dominick Reyes says he will warn referee at UFC 247 about Jon Jones’ eye pokes
Dominick Reyes knows Jon Jones’ eye pokes are something he needs to be worried about.
The UFC’s light heavyweight champion has been known to be warned in fights for eye pokes, yet Reyes is taking it a step further. He says he plans on talking to the referee before the UFC 247 fight, and before he even gets eye poked for the first time.
It’s something where it is what it is. Not much I can do about it except give the referee an advanced “hey man, please look out for this, he’s notorious for this,” Reyes said to MMA Fighting. “It’s going to be hard for me to get in. I’m not going to run my face directly into fingers. It is what it is. It’s just another challenge that he presents.
“I think more than just the fingers being outstretched is that he stays busy with that lead hand. I think that’s what keeps guys at bay, he paws with it and he paws exactly at his range. That’s been a gigantic weapon of his. It sets up the rest of his arsenal. It helps him find his range.”
Dominick Reyes says it is a rule break and the referee should look to do something if it happens.
“It’s a blatant rule break. You can’t do it. It’s in the rules,” Reyes said. “It’s been talked about many times. Either you’re going to do it or you’re not going to do it. It’s up to me on fight night to talk to the ref and make him aware.”
Not only is it a rule break on Jones’ part, but Reyes says it gives “Bones” a huge advantage. He says it will make his vision compromised and in turn, he won’t be able to see punches and kicks Jones throws.
So, for those reasons, Reyes makes it clear, if the eye pokes happen in this fight, he hopes points are taken away.
“This is a championship fight. I’ll win however the hell I can,” Reyes said. “You’ve seen “The Waterboy.” It’s the championship game, you can’t hold anything back. There’s no holding back. I’ll take it however I can get it.
“Listen the rule is we’re taking a point away, that’s the rule. If he’s going poke me in the eyes, now I’m compromised, that gives him a huge advantage. If I can’t see, if half my vision’s gone, that’s point worthy,” he concluded.
