Miami, FL – In early 2019, Colombia’s Javier “Blair” Reyes suffered a defeat by the hands of Alex Velazco by way of technical knockout in the third round.

That was a defeat that changed Reyes for good.

In 2022, the South American fighter has been in a roll showing that he has improved in every aspect of his fight game, and he has put in the work in Colombia. To improve certain skills, many fighters leave their gym or country, but Reyes believed in his coaches in his hometown.

“The improvement comes after my last loss against Alex Velazco, who recently competed inside la jaula, a few years ago that is when I found a point of balance between aggressiveness and calmness in which it has helped me where I no longer know what a defeat is,” he said.

In 2022, he defeated Luis Gomez and Jose Estrada, two strong opponents with a lot of experience. Reyes showed his improvement in his wrestling and striking.

Estrada has been a common name in Combate Global, while Gomez has impressive wins over talented fighters and is a former regional champion. Reyes also credits the birth of his daughter for a change in his professional career.

“The birth of my baby motivates me because my goal is to have my daughter be proud of her father knowing he was a world champion in Combate Global,” he said.

For now, he is maintaining staying in shape for next year’s Combate Global season. He already has his goals for the new year.

“I would love to fight three times next year, but my top goal is to win Copa Combate and become the official 145-pound champion since I am the number one ranked featherweight, but I don’t have a title that’s like being a king with no crown,” he said.

However, he wants to compete with the best and he has his eyes on some potential opponents.

“I think my next opponent could be Martin “Toro” Bravo because he is the number ranked fighter in my division and I think he would be a good opponent,” he said. “Once I become a champion, I would like to fight Cristian “Puas” Perez. I think he is a strong fighter but he hasn’t competed someone like me it will be a war and a win for Colombia.”

 Combate Global will return for the 2023 season. Watch the 2021 and 2022 season now on demand on Paramount +.