Athletes
Dominick Reyes Returning To Form
Light Heavyweight Dominick Reyes Has Quietly Recorded Back-To-Back Finishes En Route To Facing Nikita Krylov This Weekend At UFC 314: Volkanvoski vs Lopes
You spend enough time around athletes of any discipline, but particularly fighters, and you’ll hear some variation of the adage that it matters more about how you respond to adversity than how you respond to victory. It’s a cliché because it is wholly necessary. Life is easy when you’re the hammer, but it’s when you’re the nail and need to dig deep that your true nature is exposed.
Dominick Reyes, after five years and 12 fights of being a devastating hammer, found himself as close to the mountaintop as one can get without reaching the summit when he challenged and lost to Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title in February 2020. At the time, many believed he did enough to unseat the all-time great in Houston, but the judges saw it otherwise. Perhaps more surprising than the close call, however, was what came next for the previously undefeated Reyes. Over the next 33 months, he would suffer three knockout losses, tumbling down the rankings and leaving many to wonder whether he would ever reach previous heights or if he would go down as one of those unfortunate stories you see from time to time in fighting.
Order UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes
However, the 35-year-old showed his fighting spirit, returning to the Octagon in 2024 with a righteous fury. It started at UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Imavov in Louisville, Kentucky. There, he faced Dustin Jacoby, a man with a decorated kickboxing record and plenty of knockouts, to boot. Some worried Reyes would suffer another debilitating defeat, but instead, it was “The Devastator” delivering the finish, knocking Jacoby out in two minutes and earning his first win in nearly five years.
Afterward, Reyes was understandably emotional, telling UFC.com he felt “grateful, elation, love (and) gratitude.”
“I dreamed about this moment for so long, man,” Reyes said. “To go down as many times I did, to get back up and to be successful, to take a couple shots and keep pushing forward, it’s a testament to my faith. It’s a testament to my will. It’s a testament to who we are as humans. We are extremely resilient, and nothing is going to stop us but ourselves. I was getting in my own way, and I finally found my way.”
Dominick Reyes' Fight Week Interview
That victory alone would’ve ranked as one of the feel-good stories of the year, but Reyes added that he wasn’t around to “just fight.” He had his sights set on another run up the division and toward a third shot at the light heavyweight title.
While some might’ve suggested pumping the brakes, Reyes kept the train rolling into UFC 310 against Anthony Smith.
Facing his fellow former title challenger, Reyes looked dominant, stunning Smith several times before collecting the second-round TKO and solidifying his spot in the division’s Top 15.
He brings that momentum into UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes, where he will try to make a big jump back into the Top 10 against Nikita Krylov. The 33-year-old Krylov is one of the more underrated presences in the division, finishing 28 of his 30 professional wins and riding in on a three-fight win streak. Krylov hasn’t fought since March 2023, but he could remain Reyes’ ticket back into the wide-open light heavyweight title picture underneath champion Magomed Ankalaev.
How To Watch And Stream UFC 314 In Your Country
For a moment, it seemed like the narrative around Reyes would always be that he was “the guy who almost beat Jon Jones.” However, heading into his first fight of 2025, he has shown to be much more than that, and much more could be on the way.
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!
Tags