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Dominick Reyes reacts after his knockout victory against Dustin Jacoby in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at KFC YUM! Center on June 08, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
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Dominick Reyes Ready To Prove It Again

With A Losing Streak Snapped, Former Title Contender Charts His Course Back To The Top Of The Division

You could almost hear the sigh of relief resonating from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville after Dominick Reyes snapped a four-fight losing streak with a first-round knockout of Dustin Jacoby in June. And it wasn’t just from Reyes, but from his fans, who were relieved to see him back in the win column for the first time since 2019.

“You rarely see everybody rally behind one person and be really happy for that person,” said Reyes. “I've seen it with Max (Holloway), I've seen it with different guys. But yeah, I had that moment where I felt like everybody was rooting for me and they were genuinely happy for me. They weren't sitting there with their backhanded compliments. Even the internet was happy for me, so that was really cool.” 

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As for the man in the arena with the four-ounce gloves on, the 34-year-old was understandably pleased with needing just two minutes to return to the right side of the win-loss equation. 

Dominick Reyes punches Dustin Jacoby in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at KFC YUM! Center on June 08, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Dominick Reyes punches Dustin Jacoby in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at KFC YUM! Center on June 08, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

“That was huge, getting out of that slump,” Reyes said. “It's hard to describe in words. It was a perfect moment right there. I've had a few perfect moments. My debut being one of them, the Weidman fight, a bunch of fights, but this one was probably one of the most satisfying just because of all the adversity and pulling myself out of that hole.” 

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That’s great. The day after was even better.

“It was a beautiful day,” he laughs. “The birds were a little chirpier, the sun was a little more shiny. It was just a beautiful day.”

Those good feeling stuck with the Californian for a week. Then it was back to work.

Dominick Reyes Octagon Interview | UFC Louisville
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Dominick Reyes Octagon Interview | UFC Louisville
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“I got that monkey off my back and on to the next one,” he said. “In this industry, it's just the next person putting a knife to your chest.”

The man holding the knife this weekend is Anthony Smith, the longtime light heavyweight contender who is now seeking his own redemption after losing a June fight to Roman Dolidze. It’s a great fight with high stakes, and despite Smith’s recent form, Reyes is expecting to have to work for the W.

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“A hundred percent,” Reyes said. “He's a full competitor and he's going to fight until they won't license him anymore. I know this for sure, and he's ‘Lionheart,’ right? His nickname fits him because he's going to fight to the very end. But he also acknowledges that he's not the athlete he used to be. He acknowledges he's not the young, hungry fighter. He's 36, I'm 34. But I don't think we're in a similar place at all, to be honest. I feel like we're in completely opposite directions. I feel like he's looking at it like he's on his way out and I'm on my way up. Whether he feels like he's on his way up or not, he acknowledges that he's getting old.”

Dominick Reyes celebrates after his TKO victory over Chris Weidman in their light heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at TD Garden on October 18, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Dominick Reyes celebrates after his TKO victory over Chris Weidman in their light heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at TD Garden on October 18, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Two years isn’t a lot when it comes to chronological age, but in fighting years, Smith has 58 fights to his name, while Reyes only 17. That’s a huge difference in mileage, and it’s a reminder that Reyes was only 6-0 when he made his UFC debut. It was a quick rise up the 205-pound ladder, and when he gave Jon Jones one of his toughest tests in a 2020 title fight many believed he won, everything was looking up for him.

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Then came the crash, where he lost three consecutive bouts to Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka and Ryan Spann. It seemed unfathomable after his effort against Jones, especially to Reyes, who went through a series of camp changes in a quest to right the ship. They didn’t work, and he ultimately returned to the team that got him to this point in the first place.

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“I went through all that, was uncertain and unsure, and thought that maybe this team will help me, or maybe this guy has the answers or I need a new perspective on things and all this, but at the end of the day, it's all inside of you. There's nobody that's going to bring it out of you but you.”

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And, for the record, 34 doesn’t feel too bad for “The Devastator.”

“Absolutely,” he laughs. “I'm able to apply the knowledge I have and my body still does what I want it to do. I'm not like, ‘Oh, I have all this knowledge and I'm ready to go, but then my body's not listening to me.’ My body's still freaking ready to go and I feel great. So, it's really cool to be a vet. I have all this knowledge of the championship fight and fighting all these guys, but my body's still young. My mind is still young in the fact that I'm still very, very hungry to prove myself. In this game, you always have to prove yourself. I'm ready to do it.”

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