Dominick Reyes not overthinking role of judges ahead of second title chance at UFC 253

Dominick Reyes is not allowing himself to stress about the possibility of having another big career moment soured by a questionable decision.

Reyes (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who fights Jan Blachowicz (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) for the vacant light heavyweight title in the UFC 253 co-main event on Sept. 26, believes he should already have UFC gold around his waist after taking Jon Jones to a razor-thin result in February.

Many, including Reyes, believe enough was done to dethrone Jones, but the judges didn’t see it that way. He left the octagon with no belt, the first loss of his career and a world of disappointment. Jones has since vacated the title to move to heavyweight, though, and now Reyes gets a second chance to be champ.

It’s always the goal to take it out of the hands of the judges, and although it would seem particularly important to do so this time, Reyes said he isn’t letting the desire to finish the fight overtake his mindset.

“The judges, that whole thing, it is what it is,” Reyes told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Tuesday’s UFC 253 virtual media day. “Obviously the goal in every fight is to finish the fight. You never go into a fight looking for a decision, but sometimes you run into some dude that can just take everything you’ve got and it goes to a decision. That’s not something I’m thinking about or worrying about it all. I obviously enjoy finishing fights, I like finishing fights – there’s no better feeling in the world than knocking someone out. I love that feeling and I want to get back to it.”

Reyes doesn’t believe Blachowicz is going to be able to handle his best offense over the course of 25 minutes. If the Polish fighter does, Reyes said he will be better equipped to handle it than he was against Jones.

The experience of that fight at UFC 247 has done wonders for Reyes, he said, and he thinks the lessons learned will pay off in another title-fight situation.

“That was an amazing experience,” Reyes said. “I learned about composure and pacing yourself and how to go five rounds and what it feels like to go five rounds, as well as what it feels like to put it all – I put my entire heart and soul into that fight and it felt good. It felt good to just be able to perform and let go. I was free. I wasn’t worried about anything. I wasn’t scared about losing. It all felt so natural and I really realized how much I love fighting.”

Reyes’ passion for the game has him feeling confident the championship will be his at UFC 253, which takes place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+. “The Dominator” wants to usher in a new era in the weight class, and he expects a long and prosperous reign as the contenders line up.

“Light heavyweight’s my division and I’m about to prove it for a long time,” Reyes said. “If I win this I’m probably fighting the winner of Thiago (Santos) and Glover (Teixeira) and we’ll go from there. I’m not really looking too far ahead. I’m looking at that fight being sometime next year.”