UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will have his hands full against Dominick Reyes, at least in the eyes of UFC president Dana White.

In a recent interview with ESPN, White praised the first-time title challenger. White stressed the difficulty Jones will face when he steps into the cage to defend his belt against Reyes on Feb. 8 at UFC 247 in Houston.

“That’s such a massive fight for Jon Jones,” White said. “Dominick Reyes is a bad boy. And young, hungry, this is going to be a very interesting fight for Jon Jones. Dominick Reyes isn’t this big name guy that you know, but if you know fighting, Dominick Reyes is the real deal. And a very tough challenge for Jones. If he gets through this fight, and wins again, Jones is a freak of nature.”

Should Jones get the win, White isn’t sure a move up to heavyweight will immediately follow. According to White, there will always be a next guy in line, even when it seems the pack of contenders is thinning.

“I don’t know about him going to heavyweight, I think he’s comfortable at light heavyweight, and every time that you think there’s not another challenger for Jon Jones, there’s another challenger for Jon Jones,” White said. “I don’t know, we’ll have to see how this thing plays out. He has to get through Dominick Reyes first before you even start thinking about heavyweight or anything else.”

UFC 247 takes place at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view, following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Gallery Photos: Best of Dominick Reyes view 24 images

Gallery Photos: Jon Jones through the years view 53 images

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