Alex Reyes made a return to the Octagon after a six-year layoff earlier tonight (Sat., Sept. 16, 2023) at Noche UFC live on ESPN+ from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, but ended up running into a vicious TKO stoppage by lightweight counterpart and former Contender Series participant, Charlie Campbell.
Reyes had loads of rust to shake off having not competed in any capacity since a knockout loss to Mike Perry six years ago to the day. The brother of former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, Dominick Reyes, Alex looked to be out of sorts and hesitant from the opening bell.
Campbell fights long and was able to utilize his jab early and often. That softened Reyes up and opened him up for heavier shots from distance. Campbell took full advantage and started to unload power punches at will. Reyes stood his ground for a little while before a massive right hand put him to the ground. Campbell rushed in for the eventual TKO finish.
Check out the final moments above courtesy of UFC/ESPN. Campbell’s awkward post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier can be seen below:
Campbell, 28, is mostly known for losing to Chris Duncan by vicious knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series, but the Longo-Weidman MMA prospect has shed those bad memories and captured a huge win in his UFC debut. It’s unclear how good Campbell can be in a stacked lightweight division, but this was a great start.
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This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
