Does a Win Put ‘The Devastator’ Back in the Title Conversation?

Next Saturday, we see the return of one of the light heavyweight division's foremost stars. Dominic “The Devastator” Reyes has built a name for himself as one of the toughest fighters to compete at 205. He has a storied record that most fighters couldn’t dream of comparing to. The last years of his career have been trepidatious to say the least, from the high of a six-fight win streak that would end with a close five-round fight against then champion, Jon Jones, to the low of the three more losses that would follow. Despite the odds and difficulty of the task, Reyes rallied and secured another three-fight win streak, which earned him a main event against top-ranked light heavyweight Carlos Ulberg. This will be a defining moment for Reyes’s career. Can he climb his way back to the title contention, or are ‘The Devastator’s’ best years behind him?

Of all the fights at light heavyweight, Ulberg has remained one of the scariest the division has to offer. Tough, hungry, and riding an eight-fight win streak, Ulberg has quietly made his way to the top of the heap. Among a crop of eager contenders, Carlos has shone with his methodical, even surgical way of breaking down his opponents. With hands that might serve better as hammers, Ulberg has secured half of his UFC wins by way of knockout. Each of those knockouts came within the first round. This brings into question the incoming matchup with Reyes. Can Reyes still hang with a power-puncher like Ulberg? Three of his last four losses came by way of knockout, and time is not on Reyes’s side. This seems to be as make-or-break as a fight can get for the career of the veteran fighter.

With a Light Heavyweight Championship looming at the beginning of October, the implications this bout has on future title fights will be staggering. Ulberg has been in the conversation of a title shot for quite some time now, but a beloved veteran always has the opportunity for an upset. If Reyes takes Ulberg’s win streak, he automatically becomes the better man despite the years of hard work Carlos has poured into his lengthy winning record. If there was ever going to be a moment for Reyes to reclaim a shot at the title, it is now. This will likely be the last shot he ever receives, all the better to go all out with so much on the line. A fight between two powerhouses like this is sure to end in fireworks.