Reyes was born in Hesperia, California, on December 26, 1989, and is Mexican American.[2] Reyes was an athlete from a young age: he wrestled and played American football, aspiring to play in the NFL. Reyes grew up in a poor family; his parents encouraged him to pursue sports in order to avoid getting involved with gangs.[6] After graduating from Hesperia High School, he moved to New York to attend Stony Brook University, where he earned his B.S. in Information Systems.[7]
Reyes was the starting safety for the Stony Brook Seawolves from 2009 to 2012, eventually becoming captain. He twice made the All-Conference team, including being named First Team All-Big South in 2012.
He intercepted a pass in the end zone with 54 seconds remaining in the first round of the 2011 FCS Playoffs to give Stony Brook a 31–28 win over in-state rivals Albany.[8] Reyes graduated from Stony Brook as the program's all-time leader in solo tackles (158), recording 259 tackles in total.[9] While he received attention from NFL teams, his speed was deemed 'average' and he ultimately went undrafted in the 2013 NFL draft.[9][10]
Although Reyes attended tryouts for the Canadian Football League afterwards, he had no desire to play for a league that was not top-level.[11] Depressed about the apparent end to his NFL dreams, Reyes returned home to California and worked in construction.[11] He would go on to work manual labor for his father's cabinetry business.[12] He trained for MMA at Combat Cage Academy, his brother Alexander's gym, initially to stay in shape and vent frustration.[11][13] Reyes started competing in amateur MMA fights shortly after.[13][14]
In 2017, Reyes accepted a job as an IT Technical Support Specialist at Oak Hills High School in Oak Hills, California.[11] He left the job after two years to focus on competition in the UFC full-time. ESPN's Hallie Grossman described his life during this time as "pulling Clark Kent-ish double duty: by day, he was the technology nerd who made sure the campus internet ran smoothly and installed new computers in classrooms. By night, he was the fighter trying to carve a place for himself in MMA, in King of the Cage and Legacy Fighting Alliance and eventually, finally, the UFC."[12]
If I train hard and do what I have to do in order to prepare myself for an upcoming fight, I should be in position to win. With football, you can do everything right, and because of the variety of factors that’s involved in a game; the result may not go in your favor. With MMA, I feel I have a greater control of my destiny.[14]
— Dominick Reyes
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Before signing with the UFC, Reyes amassed an amateur record of 5–0 and was twice the U of MMA champion[15] during his amateur career.[16]
Prior to entering the UFC, Reyes amassed a professional record of 6–0 including a victory that went viral on the internet against Jordan Powell who seemed to be showboating before being knocked out with a head kick.[17][18][19]
Reyes faced Volkan Oezdemir on March 16, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 147.[30] Reyes won the back-and-forth fight by split decision.[31] 11 media outlets scored the fight in favor of Oezdemir while 8 media outlets scored it for Reyes.[32][33]
Reyes faced Chris Weidman on October 18, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 6 in the main event.[34] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[35] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[36]
Reyes was expected to face the inaugural and former Rizin FF Light Heavyweight ChampionJiří Procházka on February 27, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 186 to serve as the event headliner.[42] However, on late January, it was reported that Reyes was pulled from the fight, citing injury, and the bout was rescheduled for May 1 at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka.[43][44] In a back and forth fight, Reyes managed to stun Procházka a few times, but was eventually overwhelmed by Procházka's volume, and was knocked out via a spinning back elbow in the second round.[45] Reyes suffered multiple facial fractures in his knockout defeat to Procházka.[46] This bout earned Reyes a Fight of the Night bonus award.[47]
Reyes faced Ryan Spann on November 12, 2022, at UFC 281.[48] At the weigh-ins, Spann weighed in at 206.6 pounds, six tenths of a pound over the light heavyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight with Spann fined 20% of his purse, which went to Reyes.[49] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[50]
Reyes was scheduled to face Carlos Ulberg on January 20, 2024, at UFC 297.[51] However, in late December 2023, it was announced that match was off due to an injury sustained by Ulberg.[52] The pair was rescheduled to meet at UFC on ESPN 54 on March 30, 2024.[53] However, on January 23, it was announced that Reyes had withdrawn from the fight and was replaced by Alonzo Menifield.[54]
Reyes faced Dustin Jacoby on June 8, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 57.[55] He won the fight by technical knockout in the first round from a knee and punches.[56]
Reyes was nicknamed "The Devastator" because of his kicks.[14] He is a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers and he enjoys snowboarding, wakeboarding, mountain bike riding, dirt bike riding, and watching documentary shows on TV.[13] Reyes has an older brother, Alex Reyes, who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[60]
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