In front of an astonished crowd in Houston’s Toyota Center, Dominick Reyes made Jon Jones look mortal. “He was giving me a true f—ing run for my money. I remember thinking to myself, ‘F–k, you may have met your match, Jon, you’ve had a great career, just don’t let him knock you out, let the kid have it.'” Jones would later reflect on his razor-thin UFC 247 win and his last hurrah at light heavyweight.

Widely regarded as one of the most dominant champions in MMA history, the reigning heavyweight king remains officially unbeaten—his lone loss, a disqualification against Matt Hamill, is often dismissed by fans and experts alike. Though Jones has ruled the UFC with unmatched dominance, even the mightiest mountain has trembled when faced with the shadow of defeat.

Out of those 28 wins, 18 came by way of a finish. Dominance has been synonymous with Jones throughout his career, but there were times when the heavyweight champion believed he might have to end it. While speaking with Geoffrey Woo on his YouTube channel, Jon Jones shared his true thoughts on overcoming challenges in his career, admitting that there were times when he genuinely believed he would be defeated.

“I’ve tasted defeat in the ring in the moments when my fights have been close, exactly. Alexander Gustafsson was the first time it happened. Daniel Cormier—Some people feel like Daniel could have won those bouts. Dominick Reyes—a lot of people feel like Dominick Reyes won that fight. When you have a whole fan base of people swearing up and down that I lost certain fights, it definitely motivates me to make the next fight that much more dominant.”

Jones faced two of his toughest opponents in the shape of Reyes and Alexander Gustafsson. In the case of ‘The Mauler’, ‘Bones’ had to dig deep in his UFC 165 bout against the Swedish juggernaut, who, interestingly, also became the first man to take down Jones. In the case of ‘The Dominator’, he dominated the bout with his pinpoint striking and accuracy. However, Jones took the bout to a decision owing to his superior cardio and championship rounds experience.

It is to this date that the MMA fans debate the conclusion of the fight. Many believe Jones lost, while others believe he won. However, what does Reyes think about his battle against Jones? Let’s find out.

“I Hit Him as Hard as I Could,” said Dominick Reyes as he explained his lone regret about his clash against Jon Jones

“The first time he pushed me against the cage, and I jostled the position, elbowed him over the top. It was super clean, and I was like, that’s it,” said Dominick Reyes on his battle against Jon Jones. ‘The Devastator’ emphasized that Jones tried to force him against the cage, but he thwarted his efforts by landing elbows. Well, Reyes did admit, “He is the toughest mother—- I’ve ever come across in my whole life. His chin is, man, that uppercut, rotated his whole head, and just, he’s okay. Maybe he wasn’t that okay, but he lived.”

He further added, “Jon’s toughness is probably the best thing in the world. I hit him as hard as I could a few times. At the highest level, there are some people that you’re not going to finish. You’re just not. It’s just not going to happen.” Reyes expressed that he regrets not punching him harder, but he didn’t have the power within him at that time.

After his battle against Jones, Reyes suffered back-to-back defeats, which forced him to take a break. However, he has returned with a bang and is currently riding a three-fight winning streak. That said, as both fighters now move in different directions, who do you think would win if they fought today? Share your opinion in the comments below.