UFC has seen a big growth in Latin American talent over the last decade. However, not all countries have contributed equally to that growth.
Apart from Brazil, which has always had a strong grip on the sport, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Ecuador have seen many fighters excel in cage, and even enter the UFC rankings, title contention and become champions. However, other countries like Colombia have struggled to to make their imprint, and that’s exactly what Javier Reyes wants to change.
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Colombia’s Reyes (17-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who’s been fighting professionally for well over a decade, makes his long-chased UFC debut this Saturday in the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 267 – which goes down at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. He takes on UFC veteran Douglas Silva de Andrade (29-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC).
This is a dream come true for Reyes, but it carries more than a personal feel. The Bogota native feels he’s fighting for an entire country.
“I’m very happy because I’m making the dream a reality, and not only for me, but for all the Colombians who dream of this,” Reyes told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “We’re giving the example that dreams come true. If you work hard, you can make them a reality. I’m very excited for this opportunity of opening the doors for Colombia.”
Colombia does have a short history in the UFC. Reyes won’t be the first Colombia-born fighter to set foot in the octagon. Alex Torres and Fredy Serrano, who like Reyes are both from Bogota, the country’s capital, were the first to enter the promotion. They did so after competing in the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America in 2015.
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Unfortunately their stints didn’t last long. Torres was cut after losing his UFC debut, and Serrano did manage to stay almost two years, going 2-2 before not getting renewed to a new deal. Since, there have been just a couple of fighters from Colombia in the UFC – Sabina Mazo, who fought in the UFC for three years, going 3-4, and Juan Camilo Ronderos, who went 0-2.
Reyes’s goal goes beyond just debuting and completing a contract. He wants to stay there for long and build a UFC legacy.
“The idea is to stay there and represent Colombians,” Reyes said. “We see a lot like, ‘Oh, I have a grandparent or uncle who was Colombian, and they come out as Colombian, but they don’t know what’s it like to be there. I think that’s a big difference. We want to leave our footprint in the UFC.”
Reyes said he’s felt the love from his fellow Colombians ahead of this monumental moment for fighting career – which has surprised him given the general interest in MMA.
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“This has been incredible,” Reyes said. “Every day I get 30-50 messages of new people supporting me. I also feel like this is a big step not only for me, but for Colombia. I don’t know if the public is aware, but Colombia is a country where people only watch soccer. It’s soccer, soccer, soccer. Thanks to this, we’re in the media, on national TV, we’re on social media – so those things that you didn’t see before, we’re now seeing them. It’s an opportunity to bring light to the sport. Us Colombians, we have a tough time leaving the country to train outside because of the dollar and the salary is low here in comparison to a lot of countries. I hope this helps the development of MMA in Colombia.”
It’s important to keep in mind that Reyes’ plans to put Colombia on the map all hang on whether he’ll get past Silva de Andrade. The Brazilian has been fighting for the UFC since 2014 and has quite a respectable run, beating former UFC interim champ Renan Barao and ex-UFC title challenger Marlon Vera, while also going the distance with top contender Lerone Murphy.
Reyes likes this matchup for his UFC introduction. He feels it’s a tougher matchup than the usual debutants get, and it should get him off to a big start.
“I know he’s a tough opponent, but I’m not surprised that I got someone like that,” Reyes said. “I knew coming in that if I got in, my record is way too big – I’m 22-5 – I’m not going to be fighting against someone who’s 7-1 or something like that. It has to be someone with a lot of experience, so I did expect someone like this, someone close to 20 fights. I’m not surprised. I think I have all the experience and all the motivation. I’m on the rise. I think he’s now 40, so I think he’s on his way out and we’ll be making a transition. I feel excited. I also don’t have a lot of time being 32, so I want to show that I have the level for bg things. This opponent is like a shortcut. If i beat him, I jump up to fight someone higher up.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Mexico: Javier Reyes out to build Colombian legacy
