UFC Fight Night 36's Wilson Reis looking for second straight upset for ladder-climb

With five straight wins, including one in his UFC debut, Wilson Reis isn’t the next big thing on the scene from Brazil.

But he might be the next big thing from America. The Brazilian has been living in the States for the better part of a decade, mostly in Philadelphia. But he recently has shifted coasts and will be moving to San Diego full time, where he trains at Alliance with the likes of Dominick Cruz, Phil Davis, Michael Chandler and Jeremy Stephens.

The change of pace may keep him on the upswing, but only if Reis (17-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) gets past Yuri Alcantara (28-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) today at UFC Fight Night 36. The event takes place at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The Reis-Alcantara fight streams on UFC Fight Pass before the main card on FOX Sports 1.

“I’m seeking to improve my training,” Reis recently told MMAjunkie of his work at Alliance. “I used to always come here to visit. It was the right time to make a change. I’ll head to Philadelphia right after the fight. Then, without a doubt, I’ll be going to San Diego to stay. It’s a great city. It’s beautiful. I’m looking to stay in San Diego to evolve my technique between training camps. I started training with Alliance in 2009 when Dominick Cruz asked me to join him in training for his first Joseph Benavidez fight, since Benavidez is a southpaw. Ever since that time, I worked with Alliance during my training camps and Dominick’s.”

And that included a stint as one of Cruz’s coaches on Season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” not long after Reis was released from Bellator MMA after suffering back-to-back knockout losses to Patricio “Pitbull” Freire at featherweight and, after dropping down 10 pounds, current bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas.

Those losses left him at 5-4 for the promotion that he joined in just its second event. But he said despite discouragement, he found a way to persevere.

“It was a sad time in my life,” Reis said. “Not only was it two losses in a row, I was knocked out twice in a row. But I didn’t think about quitting. It motivated me to put in the work to improve my striking. I recognized the mistakes I made. I’m always looking to evolve. That’s all in the past now. On the next fight, I beat Bruno Menezes in Brazil, a tough guy who trains under (Junior dos Santos coach) Luiz Dorea. Everything’s been working out since then.”

That might be an understatement. Reis went on a four-fight tear over a year with submissions of Menezas, Strikeforce vet Billy Vaughan and Owen Roddy at Cage Warriors 50. After some time on the sideline, Reis’ deal with the UFC was announced this past August. He was supposed to fight Hugo Viana at UFC Fight Night 28 in Brazil, but Viana was hurt days before and Reis’ debut had to wait.

He stepped in on short notice for “Kid” Yamamoto to face Ivan Menjivar at UFC 165 in Toronto, and the unanimous decision win caught plenty of attention.

Now Reis returns to his home country, where he’s fought just once in his 21-fight career. The second time would have been against Viana before that was scrapped. Now it’s Alcantara, a fellow Brazilian who may get slightly more love from the fans since Reis has been living in America for so long.

Reis believes the fight has the makings of a good bout, but he also believes he has the edge – despite being a more than 2-to-1 underdog to Alcantara.

“I think it will be a great fight. Yuri has very good striking and grappling. He’s good everywhere,” Reis said. “But I think I am superior in many areas. Plus, I’m more aggressive. I’ve been training very hard and I’m feeling very relaxed. People will be talking about our fight. He’s an excellent fighter …”

But he’s an excellent fighter Reis thinks will leave the arena with a loss, and he believes back-to-back upsets should have him creeping up the ladder in the bantamweight division.

“I think I definitively belong in the top 10 with a great victory. Expect me to be very well prepared and very aggressive,” he said.

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 36, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.