Dominick Reyes

Dominick Reyes (born December 26, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former college football player. Reyes competes in the light heavyweight[6] division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of June 2, 2020, he is #1 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.

Dominick Reyes
Dominick Reyes in 2017
Born (1989-12-26) December 26, 1989[1]
Hesperia, California, United States[2]
Nickname(s)The Devastator
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)[3]
DivisionLight heavyweight (2014–present)
Reach77 in (196 cm)[4]
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofVictorville, California, United States
TeamCage Combat Academy, VV Ca
Teacher(s)Alex Reyes (brother)/UFC Lightweight contender
RankBlue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[5]
Years active2014–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins12
By knockout7
By submission2
By decision3
Losses1
By decision1
UniversityStony Brook University
Websitedominickreyes.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Reyes was a four-year Division I starting safety in college for the Stony Brook Seawolves. After going undrafted in 2013, Reyes embarked on a career in mixed martial arts, signing with UFC in 2017 and going undefeated his first 12 fights. Reyes challenged Jon Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on February 8, 2020 at UFC 247, suffering the first defeat of his career via a controversial unanimous decision in which 14 of 21 media outlets scored the contest for Reyes.

Background

Reyes was born in Hesperia, California, on December 26, 1989, and is of Mexican American descent.[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.[7] 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.[8]

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.[9] Reyes graduated from Stony Brook as the program's all-time leader in solo tackles (158), recording 259 tackles in total.[10] While he received attention from NFL teams, his speed was deemed 'average' and he ultimately went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft.[10][11]

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

In 2017, Reyes accepted a job as an IT Technical Support Specialist at Oak Hills High School in Oak Hills, California.[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]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

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

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 on ESPN+ 5.[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]

Reyes faced Chris Weidman on October 18, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 6 in the main event.[33] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[34] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[35]

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.[36] 14 of 21 media outlets scored the contest for Reyes, while only 7 scored it for Jones.[37]

Personal life

Reyes was nicknamed "The Devastator" because of his calamitous kicks.[14] He is a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers and he enjoys snow boarding, wake boarding, mountain bike riding, dirt bike riding and watching documentary shows on TV.[13] Moreover, Reyes has an older brother, Alex Reyes, who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[38]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
13 matches 12 wins 1 loss
By knockout 7 0
By submission 2 0
By decision 3 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
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) King of the Cage: Martial Law September 18, 2016 1 1:35 Ontario, California, United States
Win 3–0 Kelly Gray Decision (unanimous) King of the Cage: Sinister Intentions October 17, 2015 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 2–0 Jessie Glass Submission (front choke) Gladiator Challenge: Carnage April 3, 2015 1 0:55 Rancho Mirage, California, United States
Win 1–0 Jose Rivas Jr. TKO (punches) King of the Cage: Fisticuffs December 4, 2014 1 3:23 Highland, California, United States Light Heavyweight debut.

[39]

See also

References
  1. "Dominick Reyes Stats - Season & Career Statistics". www.foxsports.com.
  2. "Dominick Reyes ("The Devastator") | MMA Fighter Page | Tapology". Tapology. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
  3. Cole Shelton (2019-10-17). "UFC on ESPN 6 Weigh-in Results: Two Fighters Miss Weight". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  4. "Dominick Reyes | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  5. "Dominick Reyes - Official UFC Profile". UFC.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  6. "Dominick Reyes". fightmatrix.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015.
  7. "Dominick Reyes Reflects On Path To UFC Title Shot". Long Island Weekly. 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  8. "From The Gridiron To The Cage, The Crossroads of MMA Fighter Dominick Reyes • Latino Sports". www.latinosports.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
  9. www.college-sports-journal.com http://www.college-sports-journal.com/interception-gives-stony-brook-a-win-at-the-end-over-albany/. Retrieved 2019-12-26. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. Valentine, Ed (2013-02-13). "2013 NFL Draft: Dominick Reyes hopes for a chance". Big Blue View. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  11. "Ex-Stony Brook football stud Dominick Reyes fights on main card at UFC 229". GreaterPortJeff - greaterlongisland.com. 2018-10-06. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  12. Sam, Doric (2017-09-20). "Dominick Reyes Isn't Finished". Medium. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  13. James Lynch (2017-01-31), Undefeated LHW Dominick Reyes talks Feb.11 fight, training at Elevation Fight Team & Netflix, retrieved 2017-06-23
  14. "From The Gridiron To The Cage, The Drive of MMA Fighter Dominick Reyes • Latino Sports". www.latinosports.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
  15. "From the Gridiron To The Cage, The Outlook of Dominick Reyes • Latino Sports". www.latinosports.com. Archived from the original on 2018-03-19. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
  16. Sherdog.com. "Dominick". Sherdog. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  17. "Remember the guy who head-kick KO'd that cocky opponent? He got a UFC deal". 9 June 2017.
  18. "LFA 13 fighter brutally head-kicks cocky opponent for possible 'Knockout of the Year'". 3 June 2017.
  19. "LFA 13 Results & Highlights: Dominick Reyes Lands KO of the Year Contender - MMAWeekly.com". www.mmaweekly.com.
  20. "Thursday Fight Update".
  21. Dale Jordan (2017-06-09). "Azamat Murzakanov out of bout with Joachim Christensen, Dominick Reyes now makes UFC debut". mmamad.com. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
  22. "UFC-OKC results: Dominick Reyes follows up 'KO of Year' candidate with big finish in UFC debut". MMAjunkie. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2017-06-26.
  23. "UFC Fight Night 112 bonuses: Controversy in main event, but Kevin Lee still gets $50,000". MMAjunkie. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2017-06-26.
  24. Nolan King (2017-09-15). "Dominick Reyes to square off against Jeremy Kimball at UFC 218 in Detroit". mma-today.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
  25. "UFC 218 results: No fancy KO this time, but Dominick Reyes submits Jeremy Kimball in first". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  26. Staff (2018-03-13). "Jared Cannonier-Dominick Reyes set for UFC debut in Chile". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  27. "UFC Fight Night 129 results: Dominick Reyes stays perfect, stops Jared Cannonier in first". MMAjunkie. 2018-05-20. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  28. Adam Hill (2018-08-09). "5 bouts added to McGregor-headlined UFC 229 card in Las Vegas". reviewjournal.com. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  29. "UFC 229 play-by-play and live results". MMAjunkie. 2018-10-06. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  30. Oleś, Bartosz (2018-12-30). "Doniesienia: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Dominick Reyes na UFC on ESPN+5 w Londynie". InTheCage.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  31. "UFC London results: Dominick Reyes stays unbeaten, squeaks by Volkan Oezdemir". MMA Junkie. 2019-03-16. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  32. "Dominick Reyes def. Volkan Oezdemir :: UFC on ESPN+ 5 :: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  33. "Ex-UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman to make light heavyweight debut vs. Dominick Reyes". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  34. Doherty, Dan (2019-10-19). "UFC Boston Results: Dominick Reyes attens Chris Weidman in First Round". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  35. Fernando Quiles Jr. (2019-10-19). "UFC Boston Bonuses, Live Gate & Attendance Revealed". mmanews.com. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  36. Evanoff, Josh (2020-02-09). "UFC 247 Results: Jon Jones Edges Out Dominick Reyes". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  37. "Jon Jones def. Dominick Reyes:: UFC 247:: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  38. Dominick Reyes | Food Truck Diaries | BELOW THE BELT with Brendan Schaub, retrieved 2020-02-06
  39. Sherdog.com. "Dominick". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
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