At one point in his career, Wilson Reis was the undefeated Elite XC bantamweight champion and seemed destined for the big show.
Well, it took five years, but the Philadelphia-based fighter is finally in the UFC. Reis was victorious in his UFC debut on Saturday night, as he grinded his way to an upset victory over veteran Ivan Menjivar in a bantamweight bout at UFC 165.
More Coverage: UFC 165 Results | UFC news
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The judges' scores were 29-28 across the board for a unanimous decision.
Menjivar, a Montrealer by way of El Salvador, got the better of Reis in the opening round, leading with body kicks and mixing up his strikes.
But Reis was beginning to assert himself toward the end of round one, and in round two he took over, landing several takedowns over the course of the stanza. Round three was more of the same, as while Reis never came close to finishing the fight, Menjivar offered little resistance.
Reis (17-4) won his fifth straight fight, while Menjivar lost his second in a row and third in his past four.