Former title challenger Dominick Reyes returned after one and a half years away to knock out Dustin Jacoby in the co-main event at UFC Louisville.
After arguably deserving the decision, and the belt, but ultimately losing his undefeated record against Jon Jones in 2020, Reyes went on a three-fight streak of being brutally knocked out, the last of which with a jab. After taking time away, he returned against former GLORY kickboxer Dustin Jacoby. A poor streak also lowered Jacoby’s stock, with his recent 1-3 streak being the reason he is no longer ranked.
They traded kicks, mostly, to start. Both men targeted each other’s body with roundhouses, but Jacoby also went low to the legs while he pressured. Dustin landed the first good punches but Reyes countered and sent Dustin stumbling to the fence. Jacoby reset, but was met with a knee that took him from somewhat hurt, to borderline out cold. He picked himself up off the ground but ate another flurry from Reyes, making the referee stop the bout even as Jacoby fell face-first once more.
It was an emotional moment for Reyes, who celebrated with the full force of a crowd behind him who knows, to a small extent, what he has been through to get back to winning.
Official Result: Dominick Reyes def. Dustin Jacoby by TKO (knee and punches), Round 1, 2:00
