Wikipedia

Dominick Reyes

For the magician, see Dominic Reyes.

Dominick Reyes (born December 26, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight[4] division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 29, 2024, he is #12 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.[5]

Dominick Reyes
Reyes in 2024
Born (1989-12-26) December 26, 1989 (age 34)[1]
Hesperia, California, U.S.[2]
NicknameThe Devastator
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight206 lb (93 kg; 14.7 st)
DivisionLight heavyweight (2014–present)
Reach77 in (196 cm)[3]
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofVictorville, California, U.S.
TeamJoe Stevensons Cobra Kai
RankBlue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active2014–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total17
Wins13
By knockout8
By submission2
By decision3
Losses4
By knockout3
By decision1
UniversityStony Brook University
Websitedominickreyes.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Prior to his mixed martial arts career, he played college football at Stony Brook.

Background

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Reyes was born in Hesperia, California, on December 26, 1989, and is Mexican American.[2] Reyes was an athlete from a young age: he wrestled and played American football, aspiring to play in the NFL. Reyes grew up in a poor family; his parents encouraged him to pursue sports in order to avoid getting involved with gangs.[6] After graduating from Hesperia High School, he moved to New York to attend Stony Brook University, where he earned his B.S. in Information Systems.[7]

 
Reyes playing football for Stony Brook in 2012

Reyes was the starting safety for the Stony Brook Seawolves from 2009 to 2012, eventually becoming captain. He twice made the All-Conference team, including being named First Team All-Big South in 2012. He intercepted a pass in the end zone with 54 seconds remaining in the first round of the 2011 FCS Playoffs to give Stony Brook a 31–28 win over in-state rivals Albany.[8] Reyes graduated from Stony Brook as the program's all-time leader in solo tackles (158), recording 259 tackles in total.[9] While he received attention from NFL teams, his speed was deemed 'average' and he ultimately went undrafted in the 2013 NFL draft.[9][10]

Although Reyes attended tryouts for the Canadian Football League afterwards, he had no desire to play for a league that was not top-level.[11] Depressed about the apparent end to his NFL dreams, Reyes returned home to California and worked in construction.[11] He would go on to work manual labor for his father's cabinetry business.[12] He trained for MMA at Combat Cage Academy, his brother Alexander's gym, initially to stay in shape and vent frustration.[11][13] Reyes started competing in amateur MMA fights shortly after.[13][14]

In 2017, Reyes accepted a job as an IT Technical Support Specialist at Oak Hills High School in Oak Hills, California.[11] He left the job after two years to focus on UFC full-time. ESPN's Hallie Grossman described his life during this time as "pulling Clark Kent-ish double duty: by day, he was the technology nerd who made sure the campus internet ran smoothly and installed new computers in classrooms. By night, he was the fighter trying to carve a place for himself in MMA, in King of the Cage and Legacy Fighting Alliance and eventually, finally, the UFC."[12]

If I train hard and do what I have to do in order to prepare myself for an upcoming fight, I should be in position to win. With football, you can do everything right, and because of the variety of factors that’s involved in a game; the result may not go in your favor. With MMA, I feel I have a greater control of my destiny.[14]

— Dominick Reyes

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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Before signing with the UFC, Reyes amassed an amateur record of 5–0 and was twice the U of MMA champion[15] during his amateur career.[16]

Prior to entering the UFC, Reyes amassed a professional record of 6–0 including a victory that went viral on the internet against Jordan Powell who seemed to be showboating before being knocked out with a head kick.[17][18][19]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Reyes made his promotional debut for the UFC on June 25, 2017, against Joachim Christensen at UFC Fight Night 112.[20][21] He won the bout via technical knockout in the opening minute of the fight,[22] and he earned the Performance of the Night bonus.[23]

Reyes faced Jeremy Kimball on December 2, 2017, at UFC 218.[24] Reyes won the fight via submission in the first round.[25]

Reyes faced Jared Cannonier on May 19, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 129.[26] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[27]

Reyes faced Ovince Saint Preux on October 6, 2018, at UFC 229.[28] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[29]

Reyes faced Volkan Oezdemir on March 16, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 147.[30] Reyes won the back-and-forth fight by split decision.[31] 11 media outlets scored the fight in favor of Oezdemir while 8 media outlets scored it for Reyes.[32][33]

Reyes faced Chris Weidman on October 18, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 6 in the main event.[34] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[35] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[36]

Reyes faced Jon Jones on February 8, 2020, for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 247. He lost the fight via a controversial unanimous decision.[37][38][39] 14 of 21 media outlets scored the contest for Reyes, with 7 scoring it for Jones.[40]

Reyes faced Jan Błachowicz for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on September 27, 2020, at UFC 253.[33] He lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round.[41]

Reyes was expected to face the inaugural and former Rizin FF Light Heavyweight Champion Jiří Procházka on February 27, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 186 to serve as the event headliner.[42] However, on late January, it was reported that Reyes was pulled from the fight, citing injury, and the bout was rescheduled for May 1 at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka.[43][44] In a back and forth fight, Reyes managed to stun Procházka a few times, but was eventually overwhelmed by Procházka's volume, and was knocked out via a spinning back elbow in the second round.[45] Reyes suffered multiple facial fractures in his knockout defeat to Procházka.[46] This bout earned Reyes a Fight of the Night bonus award.[47]

Reyes faced Ryan Spann on November 12, 2022, at UFC 281.[48] At the weigh-ins, Spann weighed in at 206.6 pounds, six tenths of a pound over the light heavyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight with Spann fined 20% of his purse, which went to Reyes.[49] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[50]

Reyes was scheduled to face Carlos Ulberg on January 20, 2024, at UFC 297.[51] However, in late December 2023, it was announced that match was off due to an injury sustained by Ulberg.[52] The pair was rescheduled to meet at UFC on ESPN 54 on March 30, 2024.[53] However, on January 23, it was announced that Reyes had withdrawn from the fight and was replaced by Alonzo Menifield.[54]

Reyes faced Dustin Jacoby on June 8, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 57.[55] He won the fight by technical knockout in the first round from a knee and punches.[56]

Reyes is scheduled to face former UFC Light Heavyweight Championship title challenger Anthony Smith on December 7, 2024 at UFC 310.[57]

Personal life

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Reyes was nicknamed "The Devastator" because of his kicks.[14] He is a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers and he enjoys snowboarding, wakeboarding, mountain bike riding, dirt bike riding, and watching documentary shows on TV.[13] Reyes has an older brother, Alex Reyes, who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[58]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
17 matches 13 wins 4 losses
By knockout 8 3
By submission 2 0
By decision 3 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 13–4 Dustin Jacoby KO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Imavov June 8, 2024 1 2:00 Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Loss 12–4 Ryan Spann KO (punches) UFC 281 November 12, 2022 1 1:20 New York City, New York, United States Catchweight (206.6 lb) bout; Spann missed weight.
Loss 12–3 Jiří Procházka KO (spinning back elbow) UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka May 1, 2021 2 4:29 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 12–2 Jan Błachowicz TKO (punches) UFC 253 September 27, 2020 2 4:36 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates For the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Loss 12–1 Jon Jones Decision (unanimous) UFC 247 February 8, 2020 5 5:00 Houston, Texas, United States For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 12–0 Chris Weidman KO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman October 18, 2019 1 1:43 Boston, Massachusetts, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 11–0 Volkan Oezdemir Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal March 16, 2019 3 5:00 London, England
Win 10–0 Ovince Saint Preux Decision (unanimous) UFC 229 October 6, 2018 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–0 Jared Cannonier TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman May 19, 2018 1 2:55 Santiago, Chile
Win 8–0 Jeremy Kimball Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 218 December 2, 2017 1 3:39 Detroit, Michigan, United States
Win 7–0 Joachim Christensen TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Lee June 25, 2017 1 0:29 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 6–0 Jordan Powell KO (head kick) LFA 13 June 2, 2017 1 0:53 Burbank, California, United States
Win 5–0 Marcus Govan KO (head kick) Hoosier Fight Club 32 February 11, 2017 1 0:27 Michigan City, Indiana, United States
Win 4–0 Tyler Smith TKO (punches) KOTC: Martial Law September 18, 2016 1 1:35 Ontario, California, United States
Win 3–0 Kelly Gray Decision (unanimous) KOTC: Sinister Intentions October 17, 2015 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 2–0 Jessie Glass Submission (guillotine choke) Gladiator Challenge: Carnage April 3, 2015 1 0:55 Rancho Mirage, California, United States
Win 1–0 Jose Rivas Jr. TKO (punches) KOTC: Fisticuffs December 4, 2014 1 3:23 Highland, California, United States Light Heavyweight debut.

[59]

Pay-per-view bouts

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No. Event Fight Date Venue City PPV Buys
1. UFC 247 Jones vs. Reyes February 8, 2020 Toyota Center Houston, Texas, United States Not Disclosed[60]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Dominick Reyes Stats - Season & Career Statistics". www.foxsports.com.
  2. ^ a b "Dominick Reyes ("The Devastator") | MMA Fighter Page | Tapology". Tapology. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  3. ^ "Dominick Reyes | UFC". www.ufc.com. September 14, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  4. ^ "Dominick Reyes". fightmatrix.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2016.
  5. ^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  6. ^ "Dominick Reyes Reflects On Path To UFC Title Shot". Long Island Weekly. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  7. ^ "From The Gridiron To The Cage, The Crossroads of MMA Fighter Dominick Reyes • Latino Sports". www.latinosports.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  8. ^ "Interception Gives Stony Brook a Win at the End over Albany". www.college-sports-journal.com. November 27, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Valentine, Ed (February 13, 2013). "2013 NFL Draft: Dominick Reyes hopes for a chance". Big Blue View. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "Ex-Stony Brook football stud Dominick Reyes fights on main card at UFC 229". GreaterPortJeff - greaterlongisland.com. October 6, 2018. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d Sam, Doric (September 20, 2017). "Dominick Reyes Isn't Finished". Medium. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "How Dominick Reyes went from high school IT guy to title contender". ESPN.com. February 6, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c James Lynch (January 31, 2017), Undefeated LHW Dominick Reyes talks Feb.11 fight, training at Elevation Fight Team & Netflix, retrieved June 23, 2017
  14. ^ a b c "From The Gridiron To The Cage, The Drive of MMA Fighter Dominick Reyes • Latino Sports". www.latinosports.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  15. ^ "From the Gridiron To The Cage, The Outlook of Dominick Reyes • Latino Sports". www.latinosports.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  16. ^ Sherdog.com. "Dominick". Sherdog. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  17. ^ "Remember the guy who head-kick KO'd that cocky opponent? He got a UFC deal". June 9, 2017.
  18. ^ "LFA 13 fighter brutally head-kicks cocky opponent for possible 'Knockout of the Year'". June 3, 2017.
  19. ^ "LFA 13 Results & Highlights: Dominick Reyes Lands KO of the Year Contender - MMAWeekly.com". www.mmaweekly.com. June 3, 2017.
  20. ^ "Thursday Fight Update". September 14, 2018.
  21. ^ Dale Jordan (June 9, 2017). "Azamat Murzakanov out of bout with Joachim Christensen, Dominick Reyes now makes UFC debut". mmamad.com. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  22. ^ "UFC-OKC results: Dominick Reyes follows up 'KO of Year' candidate with big finish in UFC debut". MMAjunkie. June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  23. ^ a b "UFC Fight Night 112 bonuses: Controversy in main event, but Kevin Lee still gets $50,000". MMAjunkie. June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  24. ^ Nolan King (September 15, 2017). "Dominick Reyes to square off against Jeremy Kimball at UFC 218 in Detroit". mma-today.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  25. ^ "UFC 218 results: No fancy KO this time, but Dominick Reyes submits Jeremy Kimball in first". MMAjunkie. December 2, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  26. ^ Staff (March 13, 2018). "Jared Cannonier-Dominick Reyes set for UFC debut in Chile". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  27. ^ "UFC Fight Night 129 results: Dominick Reyes stays perfect, stops Jared Cannonier in first". MMAjunkie. May 20, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  28. ^ Adam Hill (August 9, 2018). "5 bouts added to McGregor-headlined UFC 229 card in Las Vegas". reviewjournal.com. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  29. ^ John Morgan (October 6, 2018). "UFC 229 results: Dominick Reyes lands brilliant walk-off decision of Ovince Saint Preux". MMA Junkie. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  30. ^ Oleś, Bartosz (December 30, 2018). "Doniesienia: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Dominick Reyes na UFC on ESPN 5 w Londynie". InTheCage.pl (in Polish). Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  31. ^ "UFC London results: Dominick Reyes stays unbeaten, squeaks by Volkan Oezdemir". MMA Junkie. March 16, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  32. ^ "Dominick Reyes def. Volkan Oezdemir :: UFC on ESPN 5 :: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  33. ^ a b "Dominick Reyes, Jan Blachowicz meet for vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 253". MMA Junkie. August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  34. ^ "Ex-UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman to make light heavyweight debut vs. Dominick Reyes". CBSSports.com. July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  35. ^ Doherty, Dan (October 19, 2019). "UFC Boston Results: Dominick Reyes Flattens Chris Weidman in First Round". Cageside Press. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  36. ^ a b Fernando Quiles Jr. (October 19, 2019). "UFC Boston Bonuses, Live Gate & Attendance Revealed". mmanews.com. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  37. ^ Mazique, Brian. "UFC 247: Controversial Judging Is The Story Of Saturday's PPV [UPDATED]". Forbes. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  38. ^ "UFC 247 scorecard has Jones vs Reyes 'a majority draw'". South China Morning Post. February 10, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  39. ^ Evanoff, Josh (February 9, 2020). "UFC 247 Results: Jon Jones Edges Out Dominick Reyes". Cageside Press. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  40. ^ "Jon Jones def. Dominick Reyes:: UFC 247:: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  41. ^ Fuentes, Jon (September 27, 2020). "UFC 253 Results: Jan Blachowicz Crushes Dominick Reyes". Cageside Press. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  42. ^ Okamoto, Brett (October 27, 2020). "Dominick Reyes, Jiri Prochazka to headline UFC Fight Night on Feb. 27". espn.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  43. ^ Alexander Mookie (January 30, 2021). "Reyes vs. Prochazka out, Rozenstruik vs. Gane in as UFC Fight Night headliner for Feb. 27". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  44. ^ Damon Martin (February 3, 2021). "Dominick Reyes injured, fight against Jiri Prochazka expected to be rescheduled for later date". mmafighting.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  45. ^ Doherty, Dan (May 2, 2021). "UFC Vegas 25 Results: Jiri Prochazka Lands Stunning Elbow to KO Dominick Reyes". Cageside Press. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  46. ^ Mike Pendleton (May 3, 2021). "UFC on ESPN 23 medical suspensions: Prochazka, Reyes". mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  47. ^ a b Staff (May 2, 2021). "UFC on ESPN 23 bonuses: Jiri Prochazka double-dips for $100,000". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  48. ^ Mike Bohn (August 15, 2022). "Dominick Reyes returns against Ryan Spann at UFC 281 in New York". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  49. ^ Alexander K. Lee (November 11, 2022). "UFC 281 weigh-in results: Alex Pereira makes weight at last minute, 2 miss". mmafighting.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  50. ^ Val Dewar (November 12, 2022). "UFC 281: Ryan Spann Makes Short Work of Returning Dominick Reyes". Cageside Press. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  51. ^ "Dominick Reyes' Return Booked For UFC 297, Opponent Revealed". mmanews.com.
  52. ^ Mike Bohn (December 30, 2023). "'Frustrated' Dominick Reyes says Carlos Ulberg out of UFC 297 due to injury". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  53. ^ "Dominick Reyes vs. Carlos Ulberg rebooked for UFC Atlantic City in March". MMA Junkie. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  54. ^ MMA Junkie Staff (January 23, 2024). "Dominick Reyes out, Carlos Ulberg now faces Alonzo Menifield at UFC Atlantic City". MMA Junkie. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  55. ^ Sherdog.com. "Dominick Reyes to Meet Dustin Jacoby at UFC Louisville on June 8". Sherdog. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  56. ^ Dewar, Val (June 9, 2024). "UFC Louisville: Dominick Reyes Earns First Win in Five Years, TKOs Dustin Jacoby". Cageside Press. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  57. ^ Mike Heck (August 9, 2024). "Anthony Smith vs. Dominick Reyes targeted for UFC 310 in December". mmafighting.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  58. ^ Dominick Reyes | Food Truck Diaries | BELOW THE BELT with Brendan Schaub, December 19, 2019, retrieved February 6, 2020
  59. ^ Sherdog.com. "Dominick". Sherdog. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  60. ^ "UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes | MMA Event". Tapology.
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