With a brutal head kick against Jordan Powell in 2017, Dominick Reyes caught the UFC’s attention in a big way.
Reyes knocked out Jordan Powell in just 53 seconds at LFA 13. And just three weeks later, he was making his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 112 – where he stopped Joachim Christensen in just 29 seconds and won a $50,000 bonus.
Heading into his first fight in LFA, Reyes had four of his first five wins by first-round stoppage. In fact, another head kick KO did the trick for him in 27 seconds at Hoosier Fight Club 32 in Northwest Indiana a few months earlier.
At LFA 13, Reyes made Powell his unfortunate victim.
On Saturday, Reyes (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) tries to make it a perfect 5-0 in the UFC and 11-0 overall when he meets former light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir (15-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 5, which takes place at The O2 in London. The card streams on ESPN+.
Before you check out Reyes in his highest profile UFC fight yet, take a look back less than two years ago at what wound up being his first and only LFA fight – and the second in a row that he finished with a head-kick knockout.
In our latest feature in partnership with AXS TV Fights, take a look at another AXS TV “Fight of the Week” in the video above to see Reyes’ finish of Powell in full from Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Convention Center in Burbank, Calif.
Then don’t miss his fight against Oezdemir at UFC London on Saturday night.
For more on UFC on ESPN+ 5, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
