Islam Makhachev and Justin Gaethje’s Humble Nature On Display as Jon Jones’ Opponent Shines Light in Emotional Confession

If the judges had done their job and awarded Dominic Reyes his well-deserved victory against Jon Jones at UFC 247 in 2020, the 205er’s career would have looked vastly different in 2025. The 35-year-old was on a 6-fight winning streak back then and had outperformed Jones through the course of 5 rounds. And yet, in the five years since then, he’s lost three of his last five fights and doesn’t have the respect of the new locker room.

During his appearance on the Gypsy Tales Podcast, the former UFC light heavyweight title contender opened up about how the younger fighters in the UFC seem to have developed an attitude problem. According to Reyes, they either act like they’re “too cool” to acknowledge him or straight-up ignore him. It’s a far cry from the camaraderie that’s supposed to exist between fighters.

But there are some exceptions to that rule. And, unsurprisingly, those exceptions are some of the biggest names in the sport right now: lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and contender Justin Gaethje.

Despite having been on the top of the UFC food chain for years now, Makhachev and Gaethje continue to be humble, down-to-earth guys, and that is something Reyes can appreciate.

“I don’t get the respect from the new guys. They ignore me completely or act like they’re too cool to even talk to me. But when I talk to guys like Islam and Gaethje, they really ask about me and how I’m doing—like a friend, like a normal person.”, he said.

 

It is interesting, though, how one loss can change the course of someone’s career and the world’s perception of them. After he fought Jones, UFC President Dana White came to his support during the post-fight press conference.

White was never a fan of judges, and definitely not a fan of Jones back then since he was more trouble than he was worth. So, after the event, he went to town on the Athletic commission claiming that the judging for the night was all over the place. He had very publicly admitted to believing Reyes had defeated Jones on the night.

“Kevin Iole hit me up, he had Jones 3-2 going into the last round. I had Dominick Reyes 3-1 going into the last round. My kids are terrorizing me that the fix is in and ‘How can this happen, dad? Reyes won that fight,’ and the list goes on and on of people that are reaching out to me.“, he had said.

Given the respect the UFC brass was bestowing upon him at the time, Reyes was expected to be awarded with bigger opportunities. But it seems his big moment was against Jones, and he just never quite got the mojo back.

He would fight Jan Blachowicz for the 205 lb title at UFC 253 in September 2020 but would fall to a second-round KO. This would be followed by two more KO losses to Jiri Prochazka and Ryan Spann, leading to a 2-year hiatus from Reyes.

The former contender would return to the octagon last year in the hope of finding his mojo again. He seems to be on the right track so far, with two knockout wins over Dustin Jacoby and Anthony Smith.

Reyes’ return to form promises another title run

Following his UFC 310 win over Smith, Reyes not only seemed elated, he also took a sigh of relief and looked almost grateful. “Winning is everything, you know losing is the worst”, the former title contender said. He even gave Smith his flowers, calling him a stand-up man and being grateful for the opportunity to share an octagon with him.

Reyes now takes on Nikita Krylov in April at the UFC 314 card. While it is not expected to get him to the promised land, a three-fight win streak would go a long way in making his case. Right now, there is a lot of chaos atop the 205 lbs division.

Alex Pereira might have been able to do short-notice fights and avoid the top matchups in the division, but the newly crowned champion Magomed Anakalaev will not have the same luxury. So, if Reyes can keep getting the job done, there’s a good chance he could challenge the Dagestani with good authority.