Dominick Reyes vs. Johnny Walker was a forgettable affair. |
Getty/UFC
While Dominick
Reyes vs. Johnny
Walker seemed like a surefire candidate to deliver a
spectacular finish, the light heavyweight bout did not meet
expectations.
Reyes defeated Walker in a forgettable split decision on the
UFC
327 main card on Saturday night at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
The contest drew boos from a restless audience as both fighters
offered llittle in the way of meaningful offense over the course of
the 15-minute affair.
Reyes’ last three
UFC victories had all come via knockout or technical knockout,
but the former 205-pound title challenger defended his performance,
citing his opponent’s finishing potential.
Money Over Entertainment
“He’s super dangerous, so if I go crazy, I’m going to run into
something,” Reyes said at a post-fight media scrum (transcription
via MMAjunkie.com). “I did get a concussion less
than six months ago. I probably shouldn’t have taken the fight, but
I did. I’m here. I fought a very clean, technical fight. I did my
thing, and I feel like I dominated all three rounds. He didn’t hit
me. He didn’t enter. He didn’t try to hit me.
“… Being Dominick Reyes, people expect me to come out and go all
crazy and go for the knockout or get knocked out. I have a son. I
need to come home with two checks more than anything. Getting two
checks means more than entertaining.”
After losing four straight fights from 2020 to 2022, “The
Devastator” has enjoyed a resurgence of late — winning four of his
last five Octagon appearances. In addtion to Walker, the
36-year-old Californian has earned victories over the likes of
Nikita
Krylov, Anthony
Smith and Dustin
Jacoby during that stretch. He also suffered a first-round
knockout loss to newly-crowned light heavyweight champ Carlos
Ulberg at UFC Fight Night 260 last September.