Dominick Reyes

Dominick Reyes (born December 26, 1989), nicknamed The Devastator, is an American mixed martial artist and former college football player. He competes in the light heavyweight division and is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of February 12, 2020, he is #1 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings and  he is #15 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

Reyes was a four-year Division I starting safety in college for the Stony Brook Seawolves. After going undrafted in 2013, Reyes embarked on a career in mixed martial arts, signing with UFC in 2017 and winning his first 12 fights. Reyes challenged Jon Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in February 8, 2020 at UFC 247 but lost his first career fight via unanimous decision.

Background 
Reyes, of Mexican American background, was born in Hesperia, California, United States. Reyes was an athlete from a young age; he had a wrestling background and played football when he was young, and aspired to play in the NFL. Having grown up in a poor family, Reyes' parents encouraged him to pursue sports in order to avoid getting involved with gangs. 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. 

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. Reyes graduated from Stony Brook as the program's all-time leader in solo tackles (158), recording 259 tackles in total. While he received attention from NFL teams, his speed was deemed 'average' and he ultimately went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Although Reyes attended tryouts for the Canadian Football League afterwards, he had no desire to play for a league that was not top-level. Depressed about the apparent end to his NFL dreams, Reyes returned home to California and worked in construction. He trained for MMA at Combat Cage Academy, his brother Alexander's gym, initially to stay in shape and vent frustration. Reyes started competing in amateur MMA fights shortly after.

In 2017, Reyes accepted a job as an IT Technical Support Specialist at Oak Hills High School in Oak Hills, California.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Before signing with the UFC, Reyes amassed an amateur record of 5–0 and was twice the U of MMA champion during his amateur career.

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.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Reyes made his promotional debut for the UFC on June 25, 2017 against Joachim Christensen at UFC Fight Night 112. He won the bout via technical knockout in the opening minute of the fight, and he earned the Performance of the Night bonus.

Reyes faced Jeremy Kimball on December 2, 2017 at UFC 218. Reyes won the fight via submission in the first round.

Reyes faced Jared Cannonier on May 19, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 129. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Reyes faced Ovince Saint Preux on October 6, 2018 at UFC 229. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Reyes faced Volkan Oezdemir on March 16, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 5. Reyes won the back-and-forth fight by split decision. 11 media outlets scored the fight in favor of Oezdemir while 8 media outlets scored it for Reyes.

Reyes faced Chris Weidman on October 18, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 6 in the main event. He won the fight via knockout in round one. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Reyes faced Jon Jones on February 8, 2020 for the  UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 247. Reyes lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Personal life 
Reyes was nicknamed "The Devastator" because of his calamitous kicks. 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. Moreover, Reyes has an older brother, Alex Reyes, who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Championships and accomplishments
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Performance of the Night (Two times)

Mixed martial arts record

|Loss
|align=center|12−1
| (fighter)|Jon Jones
|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 247 
|
|align=center|5
|align=center|5:00
|Houston, Texas, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|12−0
|Chris Weidman
|KO (punches)
|UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman 
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:43
|Boston, Massachusetts, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|11−0
|Volkan Oezdemir
|Decision (split)
|UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal 
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|London, England
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|10−0
|Ovince Saint Preux
|Decision (unanimous)	
|UFC 229 
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|9–0
|Jared Cannonier
|TKO (punches)
|UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:55
|Santiago, Chile
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8–0
|Jeremy Kimball
|Submission (rear-naked choke)	
|UFC 218 
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|3:39
|Detroit, Michigan, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7–0
|Joachim Christensen
|TKO (punches) 
|UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Lee
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:29
|Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|6–0
|Jordan Powell
|KO (head kick)
|LFA 13
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:53
|Burbank, California, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5–0
|Marcus Govan
|KO (head kick)
|Hoosier Fight Club 32
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:27
|Michigan City, Indiana, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4–0
|Tyler Smith
|TKO (punches)
|King of the Cage: Martial Law
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:35
|Ontario, California, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3–0
|Kelly Gray
|Decision (unanimous)
|King of the Cage: Sinister Intentions
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2–0
|Jessie Glass
|Submission (front choke)
|Gladiator Challenge: Carnage
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:55
|Rancho Mirage, California, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1–0
|Jose Rivas Jr.
|TKO (punches)
|King of the Cage: Fisticuffs
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|3:23
|Highland, California, United States
|
|-

See also
List of current UFC fighters
List of male mixed martial artists

References

External links
 
 

Category:Living people
Category:1989 births
Category:American male mixed martial artists
Category:Light heavyweight mixed martial artists
Category:Mixed martial artists from California
Category:People from Hesperia, California
Category:Stony Brook Seawolves football players
Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters