The Octagon’s return to Miami had already produced some notable highlights and talking points before the marquee bouts got underway.
There had been controversial moments like Dan Ige’s win over Sean Woodson which many believed was ended prematurely but there were plenty of positives also.
The first few fights in particular saw some impressive finishes even if there was a heavily criticized scorecard thrown in the mix following a split decision.
By the time that the main card kicked off, the Kaseya Center was more than ready for some of the biggest matchups of the year so far.
Kicking off the action on PPV was Dominick Reyes who has had a rollercoaster career ever since his controversial loss to Jon Jones.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
At UFC 247, many believed that Dominick Reyes deserved to get his hand raised against Jon Jones to become the light heavyweight champion.
The challenger was undefeated heading into the biggest fight of his career but after the narrow defeat, he suffered a rough run of form.
Losing three in a row via devastating knockout had many questioning whether ‘The Devastator’ would ever make it back to the top of the division.
After recording back-to-back wins, it looked like Reyes might have finally turned things around but his UFC 314 clash with 205-pound dark horse Nikita Krylov would be a huge test for him.
Krylov had his moments in the fight early on but the 35-year-old American left no doubts whatsoever that he is well and truly back after detonating a huge left hand that ended the fight in an instant.
With the way that Reyes moved back, slipped his opponent’s shot and caught him coming in with a big left counter, Joe Rogan immediately made comparisons to one of the most iconic wins in the history of the sport which also happened in the first round.
The UFC commentator stated that Reyes’ knockout reminded him of Conor McGregor’s featherweight title win at UFC 194 where he stopped Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds.
With his third consecutive win and knockout, Dominick Reyes will be back in the top 10 at light heavyweight next week.
The former title challenger is likely now just one win away from his second shot at the 205-pound gold after many questioned whether his career had reached an early end.
Reyes said in his post-fight interview that he doesn’t mind who is next, as long as it’ll get him a title shot next and that leaves multiple potential opponents.
The most obvious would be Carlos Ulberg who might need another win to get his shot after a fairly lacklustre bout with Jan Blachowicz last month in London.
Conor McGregorDominick ReyesNikita KrylovUFC 314
