Home / Sports / Reyes Confident He Can Defeat UFC Champ Ankalaev
Reyes Confident He Can Defeat UFC Champ Ankalaev
8 Aug
Summary
- Reyes believes his fighting style is similar to Ankalaev's but he's "better"
- Reyes set to face Carlos Ulberg next at UFC Perth in September
- Reyes still believes he should have won his fight against Jon Jones in 2020
As of August 8th, 2025, Dominick Reyes, the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, has shared his thoughts on a potential fight against the current champion, Magomed Ankalaev. Reyes, who is on a three-fight win streak and is coming off a first-round knockout victory over Nikita Krylov in April, believes his fighting style is similar to Ankalaev's, but he is the superior fighter.
Reyes is scheduled to face Carlos Ulberg next at UFC Perth in September. However, he has expressed interest in fighting Ankalaev, who is set to defend his title against Alex Pereira at UFC 320 in October. Reyes, who previously trained with Pereira, claims he would rather face Ankalaev, stating, "I'd much rather fight Ankalaev for sure. Honestly, I feel like me and Ankalaev are very similar, but I'm just better."
Reyes' confidence stems from his performance against the MMA legend Jon Jones in their title fight at UFC 247 in February 2020. While Jones ultimately won the fight via a controversial unanimous decision, Reyes still believes he should have been declared the winner, stating that he easily won the first three rounds and that Jones had "nothing" for him.
After the Jones loss, Reyes went through a difficult period, losing three consecutive fights. However, he has since bounced back with a first-round knockout of Dustin Jacoby and a second-round finish of Anthony Smith. With his recent success, Reyes could potentially face the winner of the Prochazka vs. Rountree Jr. fight in a title eliminator bout.
