Getty Dominick Reyes
Two-time UFC light heavyweight title challenge Dominick Reyes announced that he plans to return to the Octagon by the end of 2022.
Fans haven’t seen “The Devastator” compete since his brutal KO loss to Jiri Prochazka in May 2021 during the UFC on ESPN 33 headliner.
Reyes is best known for nearly dethroning former 205-pound king Jon Jones at UFC 247 in February 2020. Although the fighter lost the title tilt via unanimous decision (48-47, 48–47, 49–46), many fans and pundits scored the bout in favor of Reyes, specifically because of the work he put in during the first half of the fight.
Reyes’ loss to “Bones” was his first defeat as a professional mixed martial artist, and for his next contest, he faced Jan Blachowicz at UFC 253 in September 2020 for Jones’ vacated light heavyweight belt.
Unfortunately for The Devastator, he only made it to the second round with Blachowicz before being taken out via TKO. And with his loss to Prochazka in his next match, Reyes is currently on a three-fight losing streak.
On May 12, Reyes took to Twitter to reveal that he’s eyeing October, November or December for his comeback. “Coming back 4th quarter,” Reyes tweeted. “Who should it be against? #ufc #playmatchmaker.”
Coming back 4th quarter. Who should it be against? #ufc #playmatchmaker
Reyes Boasts 9 Stoppage Wins & a Victory Over a Former UFC Champion
Before the start of his skid, The Devastator knew nothing but winning as a pro fighter. He compiled a record of 12-0, which included seven wins by KO/TKO and two by submission.
The biggest win of Reyes’ career is over former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. In October 2019, Weidman moved up to light heavyweight from 185 pounds with the intention of fighting Jon Jones for the belt. He drew Reyes for his divisional debut and was knocked out in the first round, forcing the former champion back down to middleweight.
Reyes holds other notable victories over the likes of former 205-pound title challenger Volkan Oezdemir, ex-interim light heavyweight title challenger Ovince St. Preux and Jared Cannonier.
Even though he hasn’t competed in over a year, Reyes is still ranked No. 7 in the promotion’s official 205-pound rankings.
Reyes Doesn’t Think He’ll Ever Get the Opportunity to Fight Jones Again
After the UFC 247 main event concluded, there were many calls for Reyes to receive an instant rematch against Jones considering how close the fight was. Then, Blachowicz earned an impressive KO over Corey Anderson a week later while Jones was in attendance.
The Polish fighter called out Jones, successfully inserting himself as another viable contender for the light heavyweight throne. But, instead of fighting either of them, Jones ended up vacating the title in pursuit of heavyweight.
Reyes and Blachowicz were matched up for Bones’ belt, and the former 205-pound champion has been preparing for heavyweight ever since. In fact, Jones hasn’t fought inside the Octagon since his win over Reyes.
Before his fight with Prochazka, Heavy asked Reyes about the possibility of fighting Jones again.
“Never,” Reyes said. “I never expect to see that guy ever, ever again. He ran as quickly as he could. As soon as that bout was over, he grabbed his belt, jumped in his car and sped off. That was it.”