Issue 189

April 2020

With all the controversy generated by Jon Jones' unanimous decision victory over Dominick Reyes, it's interesting to look at some of the striking stats in both this fight and Jones' two previous encounters, both of which went the distance. It's intriguing that Thiago Santos convinced one judge of his victory despite actually being outstruck by Jones while Reyes could not sway a single judge despite significantly outstriking Jones, in particular in the more dangerous areas of body and head. Do the stats suggest Jones' long run as champ is coming to an end? Maybe. They certainly argue Reyes deserves a rematch. 

ANTHONY SMITH (Loss: Unanimous)

Smith was the least successful when it came to getting close to Jones, landing only 36 strikes in total. He was, however, the most accurate of Jones' three opponents.

THIAGO SANTOS (Loss: Split)

One judge thought Thiago Santos won this fight, and the stats show that although it looked as though Jones was outstruck, he actually landed far more strikes

DOMINICK REYES (Loss: Unanimous)

Jones was outstruck both for attempted shots and shots landed. Also significant was how much more successful Reyes was with shots to the head and body.