Dominick Reyes may be getting a second chance at becoming the UFC light heavyweight champion at UFC 253, but he is still a bit unhappy with the booking.
Dominick Reyes will be co-headlining the UFC 253 pay per view opposite Jan Blachowicz to determine the new UFC light heavyweight champion. After being on the wrong side of the judges’ scorecard at UFC 247 in a fight many fans thought he won, Reyes immediately began lobbying for a rematch against former champion Jon Jones. Reyes is still the #1 contender in the division, so when Jones vacated the strap to move up to heavyweight, it was a no-brainer that Reyes would be one of the two men to vie for the vacant title. What Reyes didn’t count on was how quickly he’d be expected to prepare for such a monumental fight (h/t The Score):
“It’s a championship fight, and you’re gonna give me six weeks’ notice on a co-main?” Reyes told ESPN. “Come on, bro.”
Dominick Reyes’ most recent fight was back in February, but while the body may be relatively prepared for another big fight, Reyes believes that, psychologically, every day a fighter has to strategize is valuable.
“It takes time to prepare, man,” Reyes said. “I want to go out there and freaking put on a hell of a show for the fans. I want to do some dope shit. I want to sleep him, choke him out, whatever. I want to get an astonishing finish, and that takes film study, it takes time, it takes a little bit more than six weeks.”
Dominick Reyes believes that the COVID pandemic has resulted in a lack of transparency and clearance for the UFC to take executive actions pell-mell without regard for the convenience and needs of their talent. Perhaps if Reyes becomes champion at UFC 253, he will have more say in the direction of his career, including when he competes.
UFC 253 takes place Saturday, September 26, 2020. The venue for the card is still to be determined.
Do you think Dominick Reyes has a right to be upset ahead of his UFC 253 co-main event title fight against Jan Blachowicz?
