Dominick Reyes opens up about potential Magomed Ankalaev fight with bold "I'm just better" declaration

Dominick Reyes recently shared his thoughts on a potential Magomed Ankalaev fight. While Reyes admitted that his fighting style is similar to Ankalaev's, he's "better" than the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion.

Reyes is on a three-fight win streak and is coming off a first-round knockout win over Nikita Krylov at UFC 314 in April. Given his performances, many believe he's placed himself in the light heavyweight title picture. Reyes is now set to face Carlos Ulberg next at UFC Perth in September.

In an interview with Submission Radio, Reyes addressed Ankalaev's upcoming title rematch against Alex Pereira at UFC 320 in October. Having previously trained with Pereira, Reyes claimed he'd rather fight Ankalaev given the opportunity and said:

"I'd much rather fight Ankalaev for sure. Honestly, I feel like me and Ankalaev are very similar, but I'm just better. We have a very similar fighting style. I think it's almost the same, but he's a little bit more technical than I am in terms of patience, and I'm more willing to jump in the fire." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Watch the full interview below:

Dominick Reyes claims Jon Jones "had nothing" for him in their fight at UFC 247

Dominick Reyes fought Jon Jones in an all-time classic light heavyweight title clash at UFC 247 in February 2020 and pushed the MMA legend to his limits. While Jones ultimately got his hand raised via a controversial unanimous decision after five rounds of action, Reyes still believes he should've won.

In an interview with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Reyes reiterated his belief that he outpointed Jones. When asked which rounds he thought he won, Reyes replied:

"First three easily. He had nothing for me. He might have landed two punches in all three rounds... He took me down in the fourth and fifth [rounds], but I got up in 1.5 seconds. Now that counts as nothing. He took me down, wasted energy, I got up, and then elbowed him."

After the Jones loss, Reyes went on a dismal three-fight losing streak against Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka, and Ryan Spann. However, he got back in the win column with a first-round KO of Dustin Jacoby and finished Anthony Smith in the second screen next.

After his latest victory at UFC 314, 'The Devastator' could face the winner of Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. in a title eliminator fight.

About the author

Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

Nishant admires UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for his dominance and exemplary conduct inside and outside the cage. The monumental UFC 229 event, headlined by a grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, captivated Nishant and solidified his passion for MMA.

Nishant focuses on delivering high-quality content by giving attention to detail, and rigorous fact-checking via multiple layers. His dedication is evident in his achievement of publishing over 1.7K articles and accumulating 4.4 million reads in less than two years.

Nishant feels that it is only a matter of time that MMA takes over Boxing as the no.1 combat sport. Beyond MMA, his interests include philosophy, music exploration, and wildlife photography.

Know More

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Nishant Zende.