Big-Show Vet Wilson Reis Goes Small for Saturday's Cage Warriors 50 Event

BIG-SHOW VET WILSON REIS GOES SMALL FOR SATURDAY'S CAGE WARRIORS 50 EVENT
BY DANN STUPP AND CHRISTIAN STEIN ON DEC 05, 2012 AT 9:15 AM ET

It's taken Wilson Reis nearly five years get to his preferred weight.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout, who was a former EliteXC 140-pound champion and three-time Bellator tournament entrant, has fought only occasionally at 135 pounds in the past years.

But at Saturday's Cage Warriors 50 event, Reis (15-4) again fights at his preferred weight when he takes on fellow bantamweight Owen Roddy (11-3). The event takes place at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland, and it streams live and free on MMAjunkie.com.

"I fought for Bellator at 145 pounds on eight different occasions," said Reis, who debuted with the promotion during Bellator's second-ever show. "I dropped to 135 pounds after I fought (and lost to) Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire for the second time. I felt a great difference in physical strength.

"Since I'm not very tall for a featherweight, I'm 5-foot-4, I decided to drop down. Actually when I fought for EliteXC (in 2008), it was at 140 pounds. And when I joined Bellator, it had to be at featherweight since they didn't yet have a bantamweight class."

Reis, who's strung together some regional-show wins after his 2011 Bellator release, is going smaller for this weekend's fight, but you wouldn't know it by looking at his Irish opponent. Roddy stands 5-foot-11, and it's hard to believe the former featherweight will be able to make the 135-pound limit with his frame.

Reis, a BJJ black belt who's submitted two opponents during his current three-fight win streak, knows he has the edge on the ground. But there are potential pitfalls.

"From what I could gather, [Roddy] is tall, and he often switches stances but seems to be a southpaw," Reis said. "He seems to have good boxing and muay Thai. He doesn't tend to take people down, so I don't believe he's much of a wrestler. On the ground, he seems to have a potentially dangerous guard, especially with triangles, since he's so long. He also goes for an arm on occasion. Ultimately he's a 'European' fighter, meaning he prefers to fight standing.

"However, Roddy should not be underestimated since he's undefeated for over four years, plus he's dropping down from 145."

For Reis, a Brazilian who relocated to the U.S. eight years ago, Saturday's fight is an opportunity to again get noticed. All of his career losses have come to notable names, and he's defeated the likes of Zach Makovsky, Bryan Caraway, Abel Cullum and Henry Martinez during his pro run.

Now, the Daddis Fight Camps and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu United fighter just wants to show Cage Warriors and other potential employers that he's continued to improve. Against Roddy, a fighter on a seven-bout win streak, he has that opportunity.

"I believe I'm working in the right direction," Reis said. "I never stop working on my boxing, kickboxing and wrestling. My goal is to be a complete MMA fighter."