Heading into his February bout at HFC 32 against fellow up and comer Marcus Govan, light-heavyweight prospect Dominick Reyes knew how important getting an impressive win would be for his career, and that’s exactly what he did.
Just 27 seconds into the bout, Reyes was able to TKO Govan and remain undefeated over the course of his first two years as a pro MMA fighter.
“That was a really big fight,” Reyes told MMAWeekly.com. “(Govan) was undefeated. It was the biggest test of my career to date. I knew I had to go out there and put on a performance. He was a super-tough guy who had never been finished. It was a big deal that I finished him.”
In his five wins, Reyes has only gone out of the first round once. Reyes feels that is always going to be indicative of his all-in fighting style going forward.
“I’m the kind of guy who if he sees an opportunity, I’m going to take it,” he said. “I’m not going to wait. I’m not going to second guess myself. I’m just going to see it and react. I’m going to do it at 100 miles-per-hour. If I miss, I miss, but I’ll be doing it at 100MPH.”
One of the reasons Reyes feels he’s been able to get a quick start in his career is the fact that his older brother, Alex, has been a constantly positive influence since day one.
“It’s really cool having a brother who was an established pro before I even started,” said Reyes. “(Alex) taught me how to fight in the beginning; he taught me how to throw a punch. There’s nothing like being able to go to practice with my brother and train and get better, and watch him develop as well as myself.
“There’s a little bit of competition, as always with brothers, but we’re in different weight classes, so it’s more supportive than anything.”
Reyes (5-0) will look to keep his hot streak going when he makes his Legacy Fighting Alliance debut on Friday in Burbank, Calif., against veteran Jordan Powell (8-6) in a main card 205-pound bout.
“It’s going to be a test for me as a pro fighter,” Reyes said. “This is the most experienced guy I’ve fought in my career. That being said, I don’t think it’s going to be enough. I’m very tough and very athletic. So in order to get the victory I just have to be myself and do what I do best.”
With the light-heavyweight division in need of an infusion of talent, Reyes feels he has a great opportunity to make a step up quickly and get himself to the next level by the close of 2017.
“I kind of take each fight as it comes, but my overall goal is to fight in the UFC by the end of the year,” said Reyes. “It’s one fight at a time – one day at a time – and you can’t look too far ahead.”
