Dominick Reyes
Dominick Reyes | |
---|---|
![]() Dominick Reyes in 2017 | |
Born | [1] Hesperia, California, United States[2] | December 26, 1989
Nickname(s) | The Devastator |
Nationality | American |
Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) |
Division | Light heavyweight (2014–present) |
Reach | 77 in (196 cm)[3] |
Stance | Southpaw |
Fighting out of | Victorville, California, United States |
Team | Cage Combat Academy |
Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[4] |
Years active | 2014–present (MMA) |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 14 |
Wins | 12 |
By knockout | 7 |
By submission | 2 |
By decision | 3 |
Losses | 2 |
By knockout | 1 |
By decision | 1 |
University | Stony Brook University |
Website | dominickreyes |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Dominick Reyes (born December 26, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former college football player. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight[5] division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of December 15, 2020, he is #3 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.[6]
Background[edit]
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 would go on to work manual labor for his father's cabinetry business.[13] He trained for MMA at Combat Cage Academy, his brother Alexander's gym, initially to stay in shape and vent frustration.[12][14] Reyes started competing in amateur MMA fights shortly after.[14][15]
In 2017, Reyes accepted a job as an IT Technical Support Specialist at Oak Hills High School in Oak Hills, California.[12] 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."[13]
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.[15]
— Dominick Reyes
Mixed martial arts career[edit]
Early career[edit]
Before signing with the UFC, Reyes amassed an amateur record of 5–0 and was twice the U of MMA champion[16] during his amateur career.[17]
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.[18][19][20]
Ultimate Fighting Championship[edit]
Reyes made his promotional debut for the UFC on June 25, 2017 against Joachim Christensen at UFC Fight Night 112.[21][22] He won the bout via technical knockout in the opening minute of the fight,[23] and he earned the Performance of the Night bonus.[24]
Reyes faced Jeremy Kimball on December 2, 2017 at UFC 218.[25] Reyes won the fight via submission in the first round.[26]
Reyes faced Jared Cannonier on May 19, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 129.[27] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[28]
Reyes faced Ovince Saint Preux on October 6, 2018 at UFC 229.[29] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[30]
Reyes faced Volkan Oezdemir on March 16, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 5.[31] Reyes won the back-and-forth fight by split decision.[32] 11 media outlets scored the fight in favor of Oezdemir while 8 media outlets scored it for Reyes.[33]
[34]Reyes faced Chris Weidman on October 18, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 6 in the main event.[35] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[36] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[37]
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.[38][39][40] 14 of 21 media outlets scored the contest for Reyes, while only 7 scored it for Jones.[41]
Reyes faced Jan Błachowicz for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on September 27, 2020 at UFC 253.[42] He lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round.[43]
Reyes was expected to face the inaugural and former Rizin FF Light Heavyweight Champion Jiří Procházka on February 27, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Reyes vs. Procházka to serve as the event headliner.[44] 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 Fight Night 190.[45][46]
Personal life[edit]
Reyes was nicknamed "The Devastator" because of his calamitous kicks.[15] 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.[14] Moreover, Reyes has an older brother, Alex Reyes, who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[47]
Championships and accomplishments[edit]
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Joachim Christensen and Chris Weidman[24][37]
Mixed martial arts record[edit]
Professional record breakdown | ||
14 matches | 12 wins | 2 losses |
By knockout | 7 | 1 |
By submission | 2 | 0 |
By decision | 3 | 1 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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) | 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. |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Dominick Reyes Stats - Season & Career Statistics". www.foxsports.com.
- ^ a b "Dominick Reyes ("The Devastator") | MMA Fighter Page | Tapology". Tapology. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
- ^ "Dominick Reyes | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
- ^ "Dominick Reyes - Official UFC Profile". UFC.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "Dominick Reyes". fightmatrix.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015.
- ^ "Rankings | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ "Dominick Reyes Reflects On Path To UFC Title Shot". Long Island Weekly. 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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) - ^ a b Valentine, Ed (2013-02-13). "2013 NFL Draft: Dominick Reyes hopes for a chance". Big Blue View. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
- ^ "Ex-Stony Brook football stud Dominick Reyes fights on main card at UFC 229". GreaterPortJeff - greaterlongisland.com. 2018-10-06. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
- ^ a b c d Sam, Doric (2017-09-20). "Dominick Reyes Isn't Finished". Medium. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
- ^ a b "How Dominick Reyes went from high school IT guy to title contender". ESPN.com. 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
- ^ a b c James Lynch (2017-01-31), Undefeated LHW Dominick Reyes talks Feb.11 fight, training at Elevation Fight Team & Netflix, retrieved 2017-06-23
- ^ 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 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Dominick". Sherdog. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
- ^ "Remember the guy who head-kick KO'd that cocky opponent? He got a UFC deal". 9 June 2017.
- ^ "LFA 13 fighter brutally head-kicks cocky opponent for possible 'Knockout of the Year'". 3 June 2017.
- ^ "LFA 13 Results & Highlights: Dominick Reyes Lands KO of the Year Contender - MMAWeekly.com". www.mmaweekly.com.
- ^ "Thursday Fight Update".
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "UFC Fight Night 112 bonuses: Controversy in main event, but Kevin Lee still gets $50,000". MMAjunkie. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2017-06-26.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "UFC 218 results: No fancy KO this time, but Dominick Reyes submits Jeremy Kimball in first". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
- ^ Staff (2018-03-13). "Jared Cannonier-Dominick Reyes set for UFC debut in Chile". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night 129 results: Dominick Reyes stays perfect, stops Jared Cannonier in first". MMAjunkie. 2018-05-20. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
- ^ Adam Hill (2018-08-09). "5 bouts added to McGregor-headlined UFC 229 card in Las Vegas". reviewjournal.com. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
- ^ "UFC 229 play-by-play and live results". MMAjunkie. 2018-10-06. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "UFC London results: Dominick Reyes stays unbeaten, squeaks by Volkan Oezdemir". MMA Junkie. 2019-03-16. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
- ^ "Dominick Reyes def. Volkan Oezdemir :: UFC on ESPN+ 5 :: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
- ^ "Dominick Reyes, Jan Blachowicz meet for vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 253". MMA Junkie. 2020-08-19. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
- ^ "Ex-UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman to make light heavyweight debut vs. Dominick Reyes". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
- ^ Doherty, Dan (2019-10-19). "UFC Boston Results: Dominick Reyes attens Chris Weidman in First Round". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ a b Fernando Quiles Jr. (2019-10-19). "UFC Boston Bonuses, Live Gate & Attendance Revealed". mmanews.com. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ Mazique, Brian. "UFC 247: Controversial Judging Is The Story Of Saturday's PPV [UPDATED]". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ "UFC 247 scorecard has Jones vs Reyes 'a majority draw'". South China Morning Post. 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
- ^ Evanoff, Josh (2020-02-09). "UFC 247 Results: Jon Jones Edges Out Dominick Reyes". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- ^ "Jon Jones def. Dominick Reyes:: UFC 247:: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- ^ "Dominick Reyes, Jan Blachowicz meet for vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 253". MMA Junkie. 2020-08-19. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
- ^ Fuentes, Jon (2020-09-27). "UFC 253 Results: Jan Blachowicz Crushes Dominick Reyes". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
- ^ Okamoto, Brett (2020-10-27). "Dominick Reyes, Jiri Prochazka to headline UFC Fight Night on Feb. 27". espn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
- ^ Alexander Mookie (2021-01-30). "Reyes vs. Prochazka out, Rozenstruik vs. Gane in as UFC Fight Night headliner for Feb. 27". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
- ^ Damon Martin (2021-02-03). "Dominick Reyes injured, fight against Jiri Prochazka expected to be rescheduled for later date". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
- ^ Dominick Reyes | Food Truck Diaries | BELOW THE BELT with Brendan Schaub, retrieved 2020-02-06
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Dominick". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-11-22.