Dominick Reyes has always been an elite athlete, which he showed in football and the UFC.
The UFC star didn’t always love MMA. Dominick Reyes’ first passion was football, with dreams of playing in the NFL. However, when he failed to achieve those dreams, he fell back into MMA and found out his skills translated into cage fighting.
Since making the jump, “The Devastator’s” career exploded. The Mexican-American fighter racked up an impressive win streak to start his UFC career and looked like a future champion in the Light Heavyweight division.
Reyes’ loss to Jon Jones in his first title match was the first of four losses in a row. However, the former football star bounced back and is ready to build his way back into championship contention.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Dominick Reyes is 35 years old, having been born on December 26, 1989. He was raised in California and played a high level of football in college.
Reyes was eligible for the NFL draft in 2013 but went undrafted in a blow to his dreams of playing professional football.
After he quit playing football, Reyes worked in construction while training in MMA, competing in fights soon after in 2014.
Reyes stands at a height of 6 feet and 4 inches, which is equivalent to 193cm.
He fights in the Light Heavyweight division in the UFC, which has a weight limit of 205lbs. In his last fight, where Reyes knocked out Anthony Smith, he weighed in at 205lbs exactly.
He has a reach of 77 inches, or 196cm.
Reyes is regularly active on social media via Instagram, where he has amassed a large audience. The UFC fighter has attracted 289,000 followers, posting various photos and clips from his training and fights, as well as personal videos of himself and his wife.
His handle is domreyes24.
He does have an X (formerly known as Twitter) account, but Reyes hasn’t posted on it since July 2024. That was a repost of one his UFC fights, so there’s little reason to follow him at DomReyes
Reyes is currently married to his wife Brenda Lupian. She is 10 years younger than him, which Reyes revealed when he celebrated her 25th birthday with an Instagram post on October 5, 2024.
The pair were married on January 11, 2025, in North Hollywood, California in a private ceremony at the Bella Blanca event venue.
Significant Strikes Landed per Minute5.26Significant Striking Accuracy54%Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute4.14Significant Strike Defense (the % of opponents strikes that did not land)59%Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes1.45Takedown Accuracy50%Takedown Defense (the % of opponents TD attempts that did not land)80%Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes0
According to MMASalaries, Reyes has a total net worth of between $1-2 million, with total fight earnings of $1,296,500.
They also report that the biggest single pay-out of his career was from his fight with Jones, where Reyes was paid $380,000 for the main event clash.
Reyes’ next fight is at UFC 314, where he looks to make it three wins in a row by beating Nikita Krylov.
Reyes seems confident in his ability to beat Krylov and has seemed relaxed in the build-up to the fight, with Reyes focusing more on Jon Jones than worrying about his opponent.
Krylov is coming off a 16-month break from fighting, which should work in Reyes’ favor. He will be in better in-ring shape than his opponent and should walk out of Miami with the winner’s share of the purse.
Reyes has used the classic rap song “Still D.R.E” by Dr Dre in the past. The song was released in 1999 and could have a strong connection to Reyes from his childhood.
The biggest fight of Reyes’ career was when he challenged Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 247. The Mexican was undefeated at that point and was looking to end “Bones” 9-year reign as the title holder.
As a former football star, Reyes used all his power, athleticism and footwork to take the fight to Jones. He outworked him in the first three rounds, but Jones fought back in the final two as Reyes’ cardio seemed to fail him.
“Bones” won the fight on a judge’s decision, but Dana White thought Reyes beat Jones on his own scorecard. This showed how close he came to dethroning the Light Heavyweight champion at the time and showcased how tough a fighter Reyes can be.
