UFC 247 had Jon Jones return to the cage against Dominick Reyes who seems to have been the best challenger for Jones at light heavyweight to date. The co-main event saw Valentina Shevchenko defeat challenger, Katlyn Chookagian in what may have cemented her as the best flyweight in MMA.
With two titles defended there was a lot to take away from UFC 247, here are some of the things that stood out throughout the event.
Damage Control
Jon Jones may be recognized as one of the greatest light heavyweights to ever compete in the UFC but it might be a long time before he ever stops getting asked about the problems from his past. While doing media for UFC 247, Jones seems to have matured enough to talk about his mistakes, but it will be a long time before his fighting prowess and reputation even out.
Don’t Mess With Texas
The judging at UFC 247 may be the worst to date. It began during the Fight Pass prelims when Andre Ewell defeated Jonathan Martinez via split decision. That was the first of many split decisions from the event, four to be exact. The scores, coming from judges that according to Joe Rogan and Dominick Cruz were not even watching the fight as it happened. Both men noticed during the bout between Lauren Murphy and Andrea Lee that one of the judges were not even looking at what was happening in the cage. Maybe the UFC might want to think about booking again in Texas. Even Dana White said during the post-event presser that “some work needs to be done,” as far as judging in Texas goes.
Dana White’s Take on The Judging
White said after the decision was read off for the main event, he was riddled with messages about the scoring and what he thought. Even Reyes’ team wanted to know how White scored it and his response to them, the media, and everyone else afterward was, “Who gives a sh*t? I’m not a judge.” Again, he does believe work needs to be done in Texas and with a gate of $3.5 million dollars, a record-breaking number for the Toyota Center in Houston, whatever work needs to be done, likely will happen before the UFC returns.
James Krause
Krause may have lost his match against Trevin Giles but he won the hearts of a lot of fans. Krause stepped in on less than a day’s notice when Giles’ original opponent fell ill after weigh-ins on Friday. Not only did Krause weigh in and clear medicals but he went the distance against Giles, nearly scoring some submissions to boot. Krause likely built up his follower count after UFC 247.
Shevchenko at 125
Chookagian may have had a height and reach advantage but when the championship skillset of Shevchenko set in at the bell of round one, there was no advantage for the challenger. Shevchenko has proven to be a true force as the flyweight champion that finding future challengers might be a challenge for the UFC.
Reyes Takes an L
In his first career loss, Reyes probably gave Jones the toughest fight he has had since he faced Alexander Gustafsson the first time. Again, while the judging in Texas may be something fight fans want to forget, the fact that Reyes gave Jones some trouble might mean this fight can happen again. Reyes was undefeated before facing Jones, but in this loss he might have shown others a way of possibly beating Jones.
What’s Next for Jones?
Does he move to heavyweight? Does he face Israel Adesanya? Or, maybe a rematch with Reyes makes sense but after defending the title yet again, Jones is holding all the cards right now. While he may be getting older and not finishing opponents as of late, there are plenty of fights down the road for Jones.
With UFC 247 out of the way, that has fans looking forward to the next big event with UFC 248 that has Israel Adesanya facing Yoel Romero. Should Adesanya defend his title, that could bring a potential superfight between him and Jones in the near future. Whatever the UFC has planned in 2020, so far they are off to a very good start.
