Dominick Reyes was unforunate not to come away with a KO victory here after flooring Ovince Saint Preux in the final second of the fight tonight at UFC 229, but he still emerged with a convincing decision victory.
Round One:
leg kick for Reyes. Both land leg kicks at the same time. Another kick from Reyes knocks OSP off-balance to the mat for a moment.
Back upright. High kick from Reyes. Another kick for him and a punch that lands too. Kicks and punches looking sharp for Reyes so far.
Punch upstairs and then to the body. OSP tries for a takedown, but it doesn’t pay off. OSP clinching at the cage. Reyes getting the dominant position in the clinch now. OSP looking to bring him to the mat, but Reyes defends it and is able to get back up.
Saint Preux trying again to bring him down against the cage, but Reyes blasts him with big elbow strikes to the head. OSP with a takedown, but doesn’t keep him down for long.
Reyes starting to unload hard straight punches down the pipe and OSP gets rocked, but Reyes doesn’t go all out for the finish and that gives his opponent time to recover.
Another hard strike lands. OSP looking concerned here. Big leg kick lands for Reyes. All of his strikes are punishing Saint Preux at this stage, but he’s going to make it out of the round.
Round Two:
Solid leg kick for Reyes. Now a left hand. Side kick to the body from OSP. Another side kick lands for him. Leg kick for Reyes. Now a leg kick from Saint Preux.
two punches for Reyes. Knee for Reyes as OSP steps into the clinch and presses him to the cage. Reyes stays upright and reverses the cage clinch.
Reyes almost working OSP to the mat, but he keeps his balance to prevent it. Back to the center of the Octagon they retreat to. Counter body kick from Reyes. Kick from OSP is countered with a punch by Reyes.
Head kick attempt from OSP. leg kick for Reyes. Now a body kick. Lunging left hook from OSP misses. Hard leg kick for Reyes.
Takedown attempt stuffed by Reyes. God body kick for Reyes. Left hand to the body from OSP. Now a leg kick. He tries for head kick that doesn’t quite land and that’s the last meaningful action of the round.
Round Three:
high body kick from Reyes. Now a leg kick. He works for a body punch and then a leg kick again. left head kick only just misses from OSP.
Front kick for Saint Preux. Side kick to the body. Reyes just misses with a front kick upstairs. Saint Preux with a high kick attempt.
leg kick from Reyes. Quick left hand from OSP. Series of punches from OSP, but gets countered by an uppercut on the back foot from Reyes.
Straight punch for Reyes. Saint Preux catches a kick and tries to bring Reyes down, but he maintains his balance well. OSP trying to clinch against the cage, but Reyes reverses.
They break apart with a little over 90 seconds to go. Left hand for Reyes inside. Left hook from OSP. Leg kick from Reyes. Elbow from Reyes and that opens up a cut on OSP’s forehead.
Left and a right hand from OSP. Head kick for Reyes. Body kick for Reyes. Head kick from OSP is blocked.
Reyes lands a huge left hand in the final seconds of the fight and it buckles OSP’s legs and sends him flopping to the mat in a daze, with the horn sounding just moments later. At first it seems like it’ll go down as a KO victory, but due to the timing of it we’re headed to the scorecards where Reyes wins by unanimous decision (30-27 x3).
