One of the best light heavyweights in the UFC is making his return. MMA Junkie first reported yesterday that former two-time title challenger Dominick “The Devastator” Reyes (12-3) will be returning this fall as he takes on “Superman” Ryan Spann (20-7).
The matchup will take place at UFC 281 in New York City on November 12th. this is a huge opportunity for Ryan Spann who is coming off a big win. The last time we saw Spann was against Ion Cutelaba back in May and he didn’t disappoint.
Spann ran right through Cutelaba and submitted him in the first round. It was a great bounce back win after his tough loss to Anthony Smith. Spann is 2-2 in his last four fights. In the two losses, he was finished in the first round.
In his two wins, he scored finishes in the first round. Ryan Spann is still one of the more exciting prospects in the UFC’s light heavyweight division and this is a big opportunity on a big stage for him to show off his skills.
UFC Return for Reyes
For Dominick Reyes, it was never a matter of if but more a matter of when he would return to the UFC. Just over two years ago, Reyes got a shot against Jon Jones for the light heavyweight championship. At the time, he was a perfect 12-0.
Reyes pushed Jones to the absolute limit and many believe that he won that night. However, the judges gave the fight to Jones. After that, Jones decided he wanted to move up to heavyweight so Reyes got a vacant UFC title shot against Jan Blachowicz.
Reyes struggled in that matchup and was stopped in the second round. From there, he was booked in a main event against now champion Jiri Prochazka. It was a brutal war with both men having big moments in the two round affair. In the end, a spinning back elbow from Prochazka put Reyes out cold.
After that stretch of three fights, Reyes decided to take a break from the UFC and fighting in general. It’s been well over a year since we’ve seen him, however, the time away was a good thing. Now, he’s healthy and focused and ready to make another run towards the title.