Dominick Reyes feels he has “strengthened through hardship” after four straight losses

Dominick Reyes believes his faith is at an “all-time high” ahead of his return to the Octagon.

After multiple losses to some of the best fighters in the world (starting with a controversial decision against Jon Jones in 2020), the former UFC title challenger returns to action in the co-main event at UFC Louisville this weekend, facing ex-GLORY kickboxer Dustin Jacoby.

Unlucky title challenger Dominick Reyes returns to UFC after losing streak and health scare

Reyes, who remains ranked 15th in the UFC light heavyweight division, enters his next bout as a +200 underdog, but many are asking whether “The Devastator” has the same confidence he did when he was an unbeaten title contender at 12-0 prior to his bout with Jones.

Winless since 2019, Reyes adopted a new mindset heading into UFC Louisville: choosing belief over confidence.

“I think there's an equal focus on both the mental and physical aspects,” Reyes said. Sports NetAaron Bronsteter. “I don't worry about confidence anymore because I do. I've been forged in fire. I've competed with the best. I know who I am. At one point, I was like, I just write off my accomplishments and my journey and say, what have you done for me recently? Instead of thinking about who I am and how I got here, I was putting myself down. I was only looking at what was in front of me instead of looking at the bigger picture.”

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“I think a big part of it was just getting back there and also strengthening my relationship with my Lord, Jesus Christ,” Reyes said of her Christian faith.

Reyes added that confidence is “fleeting,” but that it holds him to a higher standard, especially during a recent training camp leading up to his next opponent, Dustin Jacoby.

Looking to make a big comeback, Reyes believes he “has what it takes to return to the top” of the UFC light heavyweight division after learning from losses to three former UFC light heavyweight champions — Jon Jones, Jan Blachowicz and Jiri Prochazka — and his most recent loss to Ryan Spann, who recently fell out of the rankings after losing to Bogdan Guskov.

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