ACA and Taichi Palace Fights veteran Kyle Reyes has passed away at age 30.
The tragic news comes following reports that Reyes had been suffering from an infection following surgery to repair a torn bicep. According to a GoFundMe set up to assist with Reyes’ medical expenses, the mixed martial artist “was found unresponsive Saturday night in his room. On Friday he had reconstructive surgery for his torn biceps on his left arm. The next 24 hours his health went downhill, and we almost lost him.”
“The doctors found out he had an infection in his lung, pneumonia causing his right lung to collapse, oxygen levels at 50 which caused his brain to swell, he also had a temperature of 102.”
Reyes was taken to the ICU, where he was initially in stable condition, although as the same GoFundMe account notes, the infection had spread to his other lung. A cause of death has not been officially released.
Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick posted a tribute to Reyes on social media, writing “Sometimes things don’t make sense in life. There’s small reminders every day, and then there’s the ones that hit you with a hammer. Reminding you the fragility of life, and how important it is to cherish each moment we have. When I think of the word “Teammate,” I think of you, Kyle Reyes. One of the guys we could always count on to be there, now it’s our turn to be there for you and your family. Rest easy, my brother.”
Reyes was a 22-fight veteran with a 15-7 record, most recently fighting under the ACA banner last year against Bibert Tumenov. During his career, he shared the cage with future RIZIN star Yusuke Yachi, and UFC fighters like Nohelin Hernandez and Rolando Dy. In 2014, he competed against current UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski under the PXC banner, losing a unanimous decision.
2019 went much smoother for Reyes, with the featherweight winning (and finishing) both his fights. The Guam native leaves behind a young daughter, and tributes from teammates immediately began pouring in.
