Javier Reyes: Fighting in Mexico feels like home

Fighting in Mexico almost feels like fighting in his home country of Colombia for Javier Reyes. Reyes faced Douglas Silva de Andrade in a featherweight bout at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. The 40-year-old Andrade (29-7) made his featherweight debut, moving up from bantamweight. Reyes paid the price early for keeping his hands low when Andrade dropped him. “Blair” survived the scare, however, coming from behind to secure a finish via ground-and-pound with a second left in the first round.

Reyes says he wants to be a crowd favorite by being different.“I just want to be different,” he said in his post-fight Octagon interview. “I just want the crowd to notice me and realize that a Colombian fighter does very different things to win the championship.”

A familiar feeling

While the altitude of Mexico City is a test for some fighters, Colombian Reyes feels right at home there. Since many training partners and friends are Mexican, Reyes almost feels like fighting in Colombia if he fights in Mexico.“For me, fighting here in Mexico is almost the same as fighting in Colombia,” Reyes said. “It’s almost like home. My training partners are from Mexico, and a lot of my friends are from Mexico. So I feel just like home.”

Reyes (23-5) paid more than his share of dues on the regional circuit before earning his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. The 32-year-old has recorded 19 of his 23 career wins so far.