Former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes suffered a brutal first-round knockout at the hands of No. 3-ranked Carlos Ulberg this past weekend at UFC Perth inside RAC Arena in Perth, Australia (watch highlights).
With the Light Heavyweight division in the spotlight last weekend — and again this Saturday when champion Magomed Ankalaev defends his belt against Alex Pereira at UFC 320 — plenty of eyes were locked on Reyes vs. Ulberg because of the stakes. Unfortunately for Reyes, the spotlight didn’t shine his way.
Former opponent Jiri Prochazka, who faces Khalil Rountree this weekend in “Sin City,” gave his blunt assessment of Reyes’ performance during a pre-fight media scrum.
Prochazka’s breakdown mirrors what many analysts saw: Reyes looked hesitant, couldn’t pull the trigger, and was biting on nearly every feint Ulberg threw. That hesitation allowed “Black Jag” to unload the fight-ending sequence.
Of course, Reyes and Prochazka have history. The two collided back in 2021 in Prochazka’s first UFC main event, where “BJP” delivered one of the most iconic knockouts in recent memory with a spinning back elbow (watch highlights).
For Reyes, the loss halts the momentum of his three-fight win streak, which had put him back in striking distance of another title shot after years of setbacks. Now, the former title challenger finds himself back at a crossroads in the top-heavy 205-pound division.
