Dominick Reyes hopes to return to his original form at UFC on ESPN 57.
Reyes (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) meets Dustin Jacoby (19-8-1 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event (ESPN/ESPN+) at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
Reyes was forced to withdraw from his UFC on ESPN 54 matchup vs. Carlos Ulberg in March upon discovering that he had deep vein thrombosis – blood clots in his leg. The former title challenger, who once pushed Jon Jones to the brink, will look to snap a four-fight losing skid against Jacoby.
“The UFC’s light heavyweight division is very performance based,” Reyes said during Wednesday’s media day. “I have the pedigree to get me back to the top. Pretty much anyone in the division has the opportunity to put a couple (of wins) together, but it’s one of the hardest divisions in terms of, one punch and it’s over.
“… I was thinking about this the other day actually. I was like, ‘Man, I put together six in a row in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. That’s pretty wild.’ I’m right back to it. I’m right back to that style of fighter. That’s what Dustin was asking, and that’s what he’s going to get.”
Jacoby will also look to rebound after losing three of his past four. Reyes noticed a main tendency in Jacoby’s game that he knows he has to be wary of.
“He’s extremely durable. He’s not a guy you’re going to be able to put away easily,” Reyes said. “He’s athletic. He moves well. He has good feet. His pressure is constant. He likes to come on strong in the second half of a fight. That’s my main takeaway is he comes on strong at the end. So if we make it that far, I need to be ready to stay on my P’s and Q’s, because that’s when he capitalizes on his opponents’ mistakes.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 57.
