The sport of MMA is one of fine margins, separating career and life-altering ramifications. One athlete familiar with the wax and wanes of combat sports is Dominick “The Devastator” Reyes. The self-proclaimed “Devastator” was unaware of just how fitting his name would become down the line. The two definitions of the word tell vastly different stories about one’s athletic career. The former, “great destruction or damage”, and the latter “severe and overwhelming shock or grief”. Both definitions equally tell the two halves of Dom’s sporting journey.
With a record of 12-4-0 (7KO – 2SUB – 3DEC), Reyes is an exciting striker with a tendency to finish his opponent fast. Reyes was a college football phenom at the top of his game who failed to get drafted into the NFL. Rising to the top and falling at the last hurdle due to no fault of his own. Unrecognised for his talent in football, Dominick would turn to fighting to nurture the NFL-shaped wound in his heart. He began training in MMA at his brother, Alexander’s gym Combat Cage Academy. Dom has stated himself that when he joined he wasn’t even able to throw a punch properly. Fighting was a form of catharsis for Reyes with no intention of going professional at first. His intentions swiftly changed though going 5-0 as an amateur finishing all but one of his amateur opponents.
An almost impatient trajectory saw Dominick Reyes signed to the UFC just 4 years after his MMA journey began. However, like his college football days, Dominick would recognise a similar fate in MMA. From dealing devastation, to receiving.
Currently riding a 4 fight-losing skid, can Dominick Reyes turn back the time at UFC Fight Night in Louisville?
The Devastating Rise of Dominick Reyes
Dominick Reyes went pro in December 2014 and would go on a tear through the Light-Heavyweight rankings. After just over 2 years of professional fighting; a 6-0 record with 5 finishes, amassing a total fight time of just 22 minutes 13 seconds, Reyes was signed to the UFC. The main factor in his recruitment to the UFC was his viral 55-second knockout of Jordan Powell.
Riding a wave of hype “The Devastator” picked up where he left off finishing Joachim Christensen 29 seconds into his debut. Going on to submit Jeremy Kimball 6 months later to cap off a successful 2017. In 2018 his title aspirations began to gain traction to the surprise of many. Dominick Reyes who had been training for around 5 years was cruising through the division. One victory that stands out amongst his record is his TKO victory over Jared “Killa Gorilla” Cannonier, who interestingly sits as the headliner for this very UFC Fight Night.
It was not all smooth sailing for Reyes having to show his endurance in two gruelling decision victories. Displaying he was not only a knockout artist but a mixed martial artist in his victories over Ovince St. Preux and Volkan Oezdemir. Then one final test for Reyes in the form of former Middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
Chris Weidman went up to Light-Heavyweight with hopes of getting a fresh coat of paint against new prospects. Unlucky for Weidman his welcome to Light-Heavyweight was 11-0-0 Dominick Reyes. The fight would last all of 1 minute 43 seconds when Reyes landed a flush step back left hand and finished his work with some ground and pound to earn himself the title shot.
The Turn of the Tide
Elated with the opportunity to fight for UFC gold Dom Reyes portrayed a UFC title run as a walk in the park. Each fight intended to be a step up in competition appeared equally as simple as the last. But the following step was the greatest yet, Jon “Bones Jones, arguably the best MMA fighter of all time and the current #2 ranked Pound-for-Pound fighter in the world. This fight would begin the downward spiral of “The Devastator’s” career. A technical back-and-forth fight that saw Reyes land a higher number of strikes and Jones dominate the grappling. The judges gave the nod to Jones in a contest many fans to this day believe Reyes won.
Such an emphatic soar to the top of the pile and competing with the best of the division was no stain on the reputation of Reyes. It may however have stained his confidence. Since the loss to Jones, Reyes has been without a win. For all the good times there must be bad and the bad times have yet to subside for Dominick Reyes suffering 3 vicious Knockouts in his last three fights. Respectfully to Dom, the division has evolved since his title shot. Jon Jones moved up to Heavyweight and hungry competition has emerged such as; Jan Blachowiz and Jiri Prochazka. Both Blachowiz and Prochazka made themselves known amongst the Light-Heavyweights by brutally rendering Reyes unconscious. Next, it was Ryan Spann who finished Dominick’s time at the top with a stiff jab and sent him down the rankings.
This weekend, “The Devastator” is eager to reinstate himself amongst the top 10 after 19 months of inactivity.
Dom’s Route to Victory
Dominick Reyes faces the perfect opponent to restore his spot at the top in Dustin Jacoby. By no means an easy fight but the experience of Jacoby will go a long way in aiding Reyes in regaining his confidence. In MMA Jacoby has seen it all going pro back in 2010 and with this being his second stint in the UFC (first back in 2011).
The two fighters replicate each other massively. Reyes is one inch taller at 6’4″ and has a one-inch reach advantage at 77.0″. Reyes is 34 years old and Jacoby is 36 years old. In terms of physicality, not much separates them. One key mention is the greater experience on the side of Jacoby with 19-8-1. Dustin Jacoby win or lose has gone to decision 11 times to Reyes’ 4 which may not seem like much but may play into the fight. With only one loss by knockout and two by submission in 28 fights, it’s a tough ask for Reyes to finish Jacoby. Strangely both Jacoby and Reyes average 0.36 takedowns per 15 minutes, so it is likely this fight will unravel on the feet.
For Dominick Reyes to find success in this fight he has to be prepared to move, a lot. Jacoby has shown that he is tough to finish and can grind out decisions if you aren’t active enough. Dominick Reyes has to find the confidence of old and renew his constant forward pressure style. Constant circling making sure not to enter recklessly. We’ve seen Dom walk into strikes when throwing combinations and kicks. When he throws his strikes in bunches he previously found success. But in doing so he needs to move his head off the center line when charging in to avoid counter hooks. When possible Reyes should look to slow the find down by initiating the clinch at the end of strikes to avoid being left vulnerable.
Before his losses, Reyes ran his opposition down and got it done early with overwhelming combinations. In his last 4 losses, the fight seems to turn when his opponents start marching forward. To best play to his skillset Reyes has to put Jacoby on the back foot and impose his striking.
Will Dominick Reyes return to his devastating best at UFC Fight Night, Louisville this weekend?
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images
