'Lucky to be Alive': UFC Title Challenger Dominick Reyes Cleared to Fight Again

Once one of the most promising UFC light heavyweight prospects, Dominick Reyes is yet to turn his back on professional fighting.

‘The Devastator’ came closest to dethroning Jon Jones in one of the most contentious decisions of 2020. His stock rose incredibly, only to be tanked by a three-fight skid directly afterwards.

75% of fans and 12/17 media members scored Jones vs. Reyes for Reyes -Photo: Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Reyes’ return was originally scheduled for UFC 298, but his opponent Carlos Ulberg pulled out with an injury. The UFC was dead-set on rescheduling the fight for UFC Atlantic City, but it was cancelled again when Reyes withdrew with medical complications.

During an interview with Middle Easy, Reyes revealed he had deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot in his leg; which is a potentially life-threatening condition.

“[Ulberg] pulled out, I don’t know why,” Reyes said. “It’s an injury, obviously, but he’s not going to say what his injury is. And then a week later, I ended up getting blood clots. Deep vein thrombosis. So yeah, I’m out for a minute.

“I’m lucky to be alive right now, that’s always nice. We caught it early, so it didn’t become a pulmonary embolism, and thank God for that. Which is kind of crazy because I got a massage. My leg was hurting, and I thought I pulled a muscle in my calf, so I got a massage, and that’s the worst thing you can ever do. I’m lucky I didn’t die on that massage table right there.”