Reyes And Prochazka To Duke It Out At The Apex On May 1st
After that unbelievable card at UFC 261, it wouldn’t be surprising if the sport of mixed martial arts had picked up a big chunk of fans over the weekend. That bodes well for the UFC’s next event, UFC on ESPN 23: Dominick Reyes vs. Jiri Prochazka. Unlike last week’s event, this one will not take place in front of a sold out crowd of raucous fans, but will instead see the promotion make a return to the Apex in Las Vegas.
This bout between Reyes, the No. 3 contender in the light heavyweight division, and Prochazka, who sits ranked No. 5 in the same weight class, should be a very intriguing betting proposition. Top online sportsbooks and oddsmakers from New Jersey to Michigan—where online gambling and sports betting was recently legalized—have the lower ranked Prochazka as the favorite, boasting -139 odds to win the bout. Reyes will come in as the underdog with +110 odds that could offer some value.
Originally scheduled as the headlining event on February 27th at UFC Fight Night 186, the bout had to be rescheduled when Reyes was forced to pull out with injury. The event was replaced by a heavyweight bout between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Cyril Gane.
There was speculation that the fight between the Czech and the Californian would not end up materializing, but just over a week after the postponement, the UFC announced that the bout would move forth, with a new date of May 1st at the Apex set.
It’s always strange when you look at a matchup and the athlete with the higher ranking or the team with the better record comes in as the underdog, no matter what the sport. Usually that’s due to an injury, but in this case, it’s due to the recent form of the No. 3 light heavyweight in the UFC.
Once thought to be the man to take Jon Jones’ crown at 205 pounds after knocking out Chris Weidman less than two minutes into their bout in October of 2019, Reyes subsequently lost a hotly contested unanimous decision to Jones in February with the belt on the line. Jones has not fought since then as he creates drama for himself and prepares for a move up to heavyweight—but things have not gone much better for Reyes.
Jones’ decision left the light heavyweight belt up for grabs, and after his performance against Jones, Reyes was given the chance to claim the vacant title in a bout against the Polish Hammer, Jan Blachowicz. Reyes went into that fight in September of 2020 as a huge favorite, but ended up losing to Blachowicz by technical knockout with less than thirty seconds left in the second round.
While Blachowicz has been in the ring again since then, winning a very impressive decision against previously undefeated middleweight champ Israel Adesanya, Reyes has not fought again. The aura surrounding the Hesperia, California native has certainly dissipated since he started his career 12-0, including a 6-0 start in the UFC.
The opposite can be said for his opponent at the Apex on May 1st. Prochazka has been a busy fighter during his career, piling up a 27-3-1 record over his nine-year career, numbers that really jump out at you when compared to Reyes’ 12-2 mark since 2014.
Prochazka made his UFC debut last July after a dominant career in the Japanese promotion Rizin. Because of his record prior to joining the UFC, the Brno, Czech Republic native was given a ranked fighter for his first fight with the top promotion in the sport—and he didn’t disappoint.
The 28-year-old came out and knocked out Volkan Oezdemir less than a minute into the second round of their bout, the third straight time that Prochazka had knocked his opponent out cold.
So, only two questions remain: Has Dominick Reyes’ downfall been greatly exaggerated? Or is the new guy in the division really the real deal? Find out on May 1st!
