UFC star Dominick Reyes made quick work of Nikita Krylov on Saturday night in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 314 and paid tribute to President Donald Trump.
With about 2:39 left in the first round, Krylov leaned forward to jab Reyes. He leaned too far forward and got caught. Reyes hit him with a left and Krylov folded. He got Krylov on the ground with hammer fists twice before the referee came over and stopped the fight.
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Nikita Krylov (red gloves) fights against Dominick Reyes during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center in Miami on April 12, 2025. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Reyes then ran over to Trump, who was sitting with Dana White, Elon Musk and others near the cage, pointed at the president and bowed.
It was Reyes’ third consecutive win. He knocked out Dustin Jacoby last June and then Anthony Smith in December. Before that, he was on a four-fight losing streak with losses to Jon Jones, Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka and Ryan Spann. Emotions were running high after the fight.
“It sucked,” a teary-eyed Reyes said of his losing streak, “but my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, my faith in myself and my family, it kept me grounded, it kept me here. I’m still here fighting. Anything that’s going on in your life, guys, just keep fighting. Never give up. You go down, get up again. Just keep going. There are brighter days ahead. Jesus has your back.”
President Donald Trump attends a mixed martial arts fight at UFC 314, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
TRUMP WALKS OUT AT UFC 314 TO ROARING CROWD CHANTING ‘U-S-A!’
Reyes said in his post-fight press conference it was a “dream-come-true fight.”
“I got to represent America in front of my president,” Reyes said, via MMA Junkie. “He was rooting for me and then he told me how proud of me he is that I’m representing the country. Since I was a small child, I always wanted to meet the president. It’s always kind of been something I wanted, and I finally got to do it as an athlete, and it goes down as another night I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
The president received a raucous ovation as he entered the Kaseya Center.
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend UFC 314 at Kaseya Center in Miami, April 12, 2025. ( Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
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“Somewhat legendary,” Trump said of the roar from the crowd. “It was legendary. It’s a great honor to have that kind of ovation, really because it says we’re doing a good job. If we weren’t doing a good job, we’d get the opposite.”
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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