Fighting out of the hailed American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, this 24 year old American lightweight is venturing across the Atlantic Ocean to face Russia’s heavy-handed submission technician, Yuri Ivlev at M-1 Challenge XXI: Guran vs. Garner in St. Petersburg, Russia on October 28th.
Making his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2007 with a TKO victory over Shane Ouimette, Eric Reynolds tore through competition and quickly amassed a perfect 9-0 record in less than 18 months before tasting defeat for the first time at the hands of Luis Palomino.
Reynolds shook off the loss and got back on a two-fight win streak before meeting Eddie Alvarez in the second round of the Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight tournament where he lost via rear naked choke; his subsequent tilt was against Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal where the dreaded RNC reared its head again and caught Reynolds in a bout-ending submission, handing Reynolds back-to-back losses for the first time in his career.
Reynolds only other loss in his 13-4 record was a controversial disqualification against one of Peru’s top unsigned fighters, Ivan Iberico, due to what the referee deemed ‘an illegal axe kick’.
Taking some much needed mental time-off, Reynolds returned to the ring seven months later to face Travis Cox; clearly the dedication to perfecting his training paid off as ‘It’s a Wrap’ wrapped up the fight in the second round with a suffocating guillotine choke and putting the American back in the spotlight for his international collision with Ivlev.
With a strong submission and takedown defence paired with precision kickboxing and Muay Thai, Reynolds represents tough competition for any fighter stepping into the ring with him. Ivlev’s flashy techniques, awesome suplexes, fluid spinning high kicks and will-breaking ground and pound match up perfectly with Reynolds’ relentless stalking, text-book Thai clinch, and laser-targeted striking, creating high expectations that this will be one of the most exciting fights at M-1 Challenge XXI.
Should Reynolds reign supreme, fans can expect him to become a familiar face at future Challenge events as he chases down the #1 contender spot and a chance to battle for the lightweight belt.