Issue 043

November 2008

Wilson Reis may be one of the smaller athletes in his sport, at 5’6” and 145lb, but this featherweight fighter is a true powerhouse. 

The Brazilian debuted on the undercard for ShoXC Elite: Challenger Series this past January with an undefeated record, and took a solid win by submission over the very tough Zach Mokovsky. Since then he’s dominated two more opponents and continues, with every outing, to make his case why he’s the top featherweight in EliteXC.  

Whether it was a second-round submission, first-round rear naked choke or even a three-round unanimous decision (as it was on July 26 against Brian Caraway) Reis has been nothing but exciting in each of his EliteXC outings. While he’s made a lasting impression on those in attendance, he’s flown under the radar of fight fans watching at home. This is because of Reis’s match-ups to date have been restricted to the undercards of memorable events such as Kimbo Slice vs James Thomson, and Robbie Lawler vs Scott Smith.  

“I only have five fights right now, but [before the latest one] all my fights in EliteXC were stopped before reaching the third round,” Reis said. “My focus used to just be all BJJ [Brazilian jiu-jitsu], but right now it’s MMA. I want to get better on my striking – both Muay Thai and boxing – and basically show EliteXC what I can do.”

A resident of the city of Philadelphia, he was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the Godoi Jiu-Jitsu Club from his teens, meaning Reis came to the United States as a submission artist. Since relocating, he has become a complete fighter after working on his stand-up at the Daddis Fight Club in Philly. “I’m a tough opponent because I use a variety of styles: wrestling, Muay Thai and especially boxing,” he said.

“A lot of people have said you go to the WEC [World Extreme Cagefighting] to fight the best 145lb fighters in the world, but I think EliteXC is the same. There’s so many good fighters here and I love to fight good fights against good names,” he added.  

After two definitive wins by tap out, Reis went three rounds with Bryan Caraway, a taller striker who wanted to bang it out - and the height difference proved to be frustrating. Reis tried to move in and out of striking distance, but eventually decided the best course of action would be to take it to the ground. “In that last fight, he was using his reach on me and my boxing didn’t work out as much. 

“When he started punching it became tough to get in on him,” Reis said. “I decided to fight the whole fight on the ground and every time I shot for a single-leg, I took him down. I put him on his back seven times. I felt it was a good fight because I won each of the three rounds.”

One MMA analyst even referred to Reis’s second win in EliteXC as “The most awesome display of jiu-jitsu in MMA since Rickson [Gracie] won the Vale Tudo in 1995.”  There was no escaping his grip or his game plan that night – he seized control of the fight immediately and worked Justin Robbins over with little trouble. The fight lasted just over four minutes but was completely one-sided, as Reis imposed his will on Robbins and forced an end by rear-naked choke.  

It was a great fight that hardly anyone watched. The main card, aired live for a national television audience on CBS, received mixed reviews. None of the smaller guys made primetime. Instead, EliteXC showcased four controversial knockouts / TKOs and a no contest due to a thumb in the eye.  

“All the different weight classes put on a good show but I think with lightweights, 145lb and even 135lb, you have a good chance to see a good fight,” Reis said. “They’re not too big, they’re faster, very technical and sometimes they have a lot of power and are strong too.”

Reis has yet to taste defeat, and has no intention of doing so any time soon - especially now as he makes his first appearances in main-card fights. “I always want to be in the best part of the show, no matter what time of night it is,” Reis said. “I know a lot of my wins are by submissions, but now I know I can finish fights with my striking, where before I always looked to use my jiu-jitsu to end fights on the ground. It’s what I’ve been training to do. I can’t wait for my title shot.”