‘What a Counter’: Fans See Shades of Prime Conor McGregor as Dominick Reyes Countinues Title Run With UFC 314 Win

Every now and then, a moment in the Octagon takes everyone straight back to one of those UFC highlights—one like Conor McGregor’s iconic 13-second KO of Jose Aldo at UFC 194. Today, at UFC 314, former light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes did exactly that.

Reyes, who’s been putting together a solid comeback, delivered a stunning first-round knockout, flatlining Nikita Krylov. Moving back, away from Krylov’s jab, Reyes connected with an impossibly sharp left to extend his win streak to three. 

Reyes, once touted to be a future champion in the 205 lbs division, came close to the promised land in 2020 at UFC 247 but was handed a controversial decision loss to Jon Jones. This triggered a skid of another three fights, pushing the American fighter out of a future at the top of the mountain for good. 

Or so everyone thought. However, Reyes took a two-year break after his 2022 loss to Ryan Spann and returned with a clean finish against Dustin Jacoby last year.

And now, with Krylov in his rearview mirror, Reyes hopes to win another fighter to perhaps push his luck against the champion Magomed Ankalaev. Normally, that would be a far-fetched notion at this point, but considering the hype he’s managed to generate from this KO, it doesn’t seem so anymore.

Scratching his head in disbelief, one fan asked, “Wait why that lowkey look like Conor vs Aldo.” Another congratulated the former contender and said, “He pulled out the Conor v Aldo. Perfect counter shot.”

“Put that side by side with Mcgregor’s KO against Aldo!”- said others, reiterating the common sentiment in the comments. 

Awestruck, this fan, simply said, “What a counter.”

Reyes himself was so elated that, much like his former foe Jones, he too fancied himself a unique celebration, a perceived tribute to the President of the United States, Donald Trump

Reyes’ Trump celebration

When Jones successfully defended his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last year, the undisputed heavyweight champion pulled out a little dance number in the center of the octagon, bearing a striking resemblance to Trump’s signature moves.

In fact, Jiu Jitsu expert Gordon Ryan, who happened to be with Jones backstage before the fight, later revealed that the dance moves were all he was practicing before getting into the octagon.

“We found out that Trump was going to be there… Probably 20 minutes of that warm-up was just him practicing the mechanics of how to do the Trump dance right“, he revealed in a conversation with UFC commentator Joe Rogan.

Reyes, of course, did no such thing. No backstage choreography was involved, but he did manage to pull out a golf swing celebration. He then climbed the cage and saluted the POTUS.

When asked about his next steps, Reyes confidently stated, “One more and then the title.“