Athletes
Dominick Reyes Never Lost The Faith
Former Title Challenger Talks Turning Setbacks Into A New Winning Streak Ahead Of UFC 314 Clash With Krylov
How does it feel to be Dominick Reyes again?
The long-time light heavyweight contender laughs.
“I never left. Just in the eyes of the fans. But I'm back. You know how life is, you get ups and you get downs, but, at the end of the day, we're here.”
Here, back on track after snapping a four-fight, four-year losing streak with a pair of 2024 knockouts of Dustin Jacoby and Anthony Smith. On Saturday, he meets fellow contender Nikita Krylov in the UFC 314 main card opener in Miami. It was a place many didn’t think the Californian would return to, but he always believed.
“It's just who I am and how I was raised,” Reyes said. “I was not going to give up or stop trying to be a better person. I think my faith has a lot to do with it.”
Reyes needed that faith when a 2020 title fight with Jon Jones that many believed he won became the beginning of a stretch where he just couldn’t get a win. There was a stoppage loss to Jan Blachowicz for the vacant 205-pound belt, another KO defeat in an epic war with Jiri Prochazka, and yet another finish against him when he got caught and beat by Ryan Spann. After each setback, all Reyes did was keep putting his gloves on, believing that eventually, the tide would turn.
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“I didn't sit here and make excuses about everything,” he said. “I just took my lumps and kept trying to go. It was a ‘I'll get the next one’ kind of thing. Instead of crying about it all day, I'm just like, whatever happens, this is life. It's not always fair. It sucks sometimes, but it's what you do about it. I just kept getting up.”
In 2024, Reyes stayed up. In June, he halted Jacoby in the first round to earn his first victory since 2019. Six months later, he stopped Smith in the second round. Each were cathartic victories, yet even after beating Smith, his immediate focus was on his opponent, who was dealing with the loss of his close friend and coach, Scotty Morton.
Dominick Reyes Fight Week Interview | UFC 314
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Dominick Reyes Fight Week Interview | UFC 314
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“It’s one of those things where you treat others how you want to be treated,” said Reyes. “He's going through a rough time. I'm not going to keep kicking him when he is down or just make it worse for him. I've been in rough spots, and it would really suck to have somebody just sit there and kind of talk over my body.”
That, more than the big wins and his resilience, showed the kind of man the 35-year-old is. And oddly enough, in a world where everyone’s a critic, Reyes was celebrated by UFC fans throughout the darkest days of his career.
Order UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes
“It's hard to say,” said Reyes when asked if the fan support was the bright spot of his losing streak. “I guess the bright spot was me just really becoming a better man and humbling myself. I was the bright spot there. But that was a little bit of a bright spot, too. I guess people just wanted validations for their own arguments. ‘Dom won, well, what has he done lately?’ And they’re like, no, he's a f**king beast, you don't understand.’”
Reyes laughs, more aware than most about how fickle life in the spotlight can be. But, at least now, he’s on the right side of that equation heading into a fight that could move him closer to his goal once more.
“The goal is always the title,” he said. “I'm always chasing the belt, I'm always trying to become world champion and I'm just trying to be the best in the world at what I do, to be honest. But every time I fight, man, it's the world watching whether I like it or not.”
I get the feeling he likes it, even though it took some getting used to when he returned after nearly two years off to face Jacoby in Louisville.
“For me, it was kind of a not remembering what it feels like thing,” Reyes said. “I was trying to remember that feeling of being in the Octagon, feeling the ground and the air and the crowd, and just trying to remember that feeling. And it was tough when I fought Jacoby, but it came back pretty quickly.”
Get Ready For UFC 314 With Our Full Fight Card Breakdown
That’s something you can’t replicate in the gym, and it’s a feeling Krylov hasn’t had since March of 2023.
“It's impossible,” he said. “The adrenaline, you are not used to that, that big feeling. And it's a lot to overcome. Luckily for me, it honestly felt like the entire city was rooting for me, and that helped a lot with the nerves. But yeah, it's not easy, especially fighting someone like me right now. It's really not a good night.”
That’s as good-natured a warning as you’ll ever hear. Maybe it’s not what you would have heard out of Reyes’ mouth as 2024 began. But in 2025, it’s a whole new ballgame.
“Entering 2024, I had nothing,” he said. “Now, I'm mature and I'm sure of myself. I know what I'm doing is exactly what I need to be doing and I'm very confident. I've matured a lot and I know who I am, what I am, and what I need to do at all times.”
UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes took place live from Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on April 12, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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