Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes returns at UFC 314.
In addition to his wild knockout finishes, Dominick Reyes is known as the one man who gave Jon Jones arguably the toughest test of his UFC career at UFC 247. But he wouldn’t’ve earned the attention of the UFC GOAT without knocking out one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time.
Reyes returns this weekend at UFC 314 against Nikita Krylov in a pivotal light heavyweight bout with title contention on the line. After back-to-back wins to get back into the mix at 205lbs, Reyes is knocking on the door of potentially earning another shot at UFC gold.
Reyes earned his first shot at a UFC world title by flattening one of the promotion’s all-time greats.
Dominick Reyes destroyed Chris Weidman in UFC Boston headliner
Reyes and former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman squared off in a No. 1 contender bout in Boston in 2019. It was a hyped matchup with a lot on the line as Jones contemplated who he should fight next in his light heavyweight title reign.
It also marked a new chapter for Weidman, who moved up from middleweight to contend at light heavyweight for the first time in his career. Many believed a Jones vs. Weidman matchup was inevitable, until Weidman met a devastating punch from Reyes.
After a brief clinch against the fence, Reyes caught Weidman’s chin with a blistering counter-left straight to drop the former middleweight champion. Reyes poured it on with brutal ground-and-pound strikes to secure the first-round finish and eventually secure a matchup with Jones.
Reyes rose up the light heavyweight ladder by winning his first 12 professional fights, including victories over Jared Cannonier, Volkan Oezdemir, and Weidman. He went on to fall to Jones by unanimous decision in one of the most controversial results in UFC history.
Há exatos cinco anos, Dominick Reyes nocauteou Chris Weidman. pic.twitter.com/L2ArB07y4A
— Kombat Goiano (@kombatgoianomma) October 19, 2024
Jon Jones/Dominick Reyes feud reignited ahead of UFC 314
After Reyes claimed in a recent podcast appearance that he still believes he was robbed vs. Jones, it didn’t take long for the UFC light heavyweight legend to hit back. In a social media slam, Jones challenged Reyes to a game of ‘rock paper scissors’ to ‘finally beat him at something’.
Jones is expected to return later this year against interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall in a heavyweight unification bout. Jones hasn’t fought since finishing Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November.
Reyes has the chance to go on another title run, beginning with extending his ongoing win streak at UFC 314. But the ghost of the Jones fight remains on Reyes’s mind as he seeks redemption.
