UFC on ESPN 6 - Boston Breakdown & Predictions
When is UFC on ESPN 6? Saturday 19th October, 2019 - 00:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC on ESPN 6? TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
What channel is UFC on ESPN 6? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 6? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ which can you sign up to here!
Are tickets still available for UFC on ESPN 6? https://www.ufc.com/tickets
Dominick Reyes vs Chris Weidman
Chris Weidman is back after a year out and moves up to light heavyweight to get out of his rut. Welcoming him to the division is Dominick Reyes who is on fire and yet to taste defeat.
Reyes was 6-0 before entering the UFC still with everything to prove but he has passed every test so far with increasing difficulty. He knocked out Joachim Christensen on his debut and then went on to submit Jeremy Kimball before finishing Jared Cannonier with strikes. His last two fights have gone to decisions, however these were against top contenders Ovince Saint Preux and Volkan Oezdemir.
The former middleweight champion is suffering completely contrasting form, losing four of his last five. He got finished by Luke Rockhold to lose his belt and unbeaten record before getting kneed into a different realm by Yoel Romero and stopped by Gegard Mousasi. He bounced back with a dominant submission win but this was against Kelvin Gastelum who is half his size. Failing to gain momentum, Weidman then got starched by Jacare Souza and has since been on the sidelines with injuries.
PREDICTION
Everyone has always been intrigued to see how Weidman will fare at light heavyweight. He is a big man and cuts a lot of weight to get down to 185 lbs which must have impacted his performances.
However, he has not been given an easy ticket, as Reyes is a beast on the feet and continues to improve his all-round game. He will look to exploit Weidman on the feet and has every skill to do so. He won’t have the reach advantage, but Weidman will be wise to avoid any exchanges and resort to his bread and butter.
Weidman has to look to take Reyes down. He is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC and in desperate need of a win. Reyes’ route to victory is picking him apart from range with head and leg kicks. If Weidman executes a game plan, though, he will be able to remind everyone of his grappling credentials.
Winner: Weidman via Submission
Yair Rodriguez vs Jeremy Stephens
Their highly anticipated meeting back in September lasted just 15 seconds when Jeremy Stephens could not continue to fight after getting poked in the eye by Yair Rodriguez, creating one of the biggest anti-climaxes in memory. Leaving Mexico, they now resume the battle in Boston with added beef and heat in the fire.
Just like the crowd in Mexico City, Rodriguez’ reaction was baffling and even had choice words for the veteran scrapper. Thankfully he has agreed to a quick turn-around to regain momentum. After getting a mauling from Frankie Edgar he responded with one of the most spectacular knockouts in UFC history against 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung. After being down on the judges scorecards, Rodriguez pulled off a miraculous up elbow in the last second of the fifth and final round to steal the victory.
Jeremy Stephens is as game as it gets and if he was able to fight on after the eye poke, he absolutely would have. He is a true UFC vet making his UFC debut all the way back in 2007 and has compiled 30 fights going on 15-15 which is not bad considering he was fighting when there was no featherweight division. He is a true knockout artist and has collected notable scalps including: Rafael dos Anjos, Rony Jason, Dennis Bermudez, Doo Ho Choi and Josh Emmett. However, after breaking Emmett’s face, Stephens is on a two-fight skid, albeit to monsters Jose Aldo and Zabit Magomedsharipov.
PREDICTION
Rodriguez is going to try and pick Stephens apart on the feet and pull out all of his tricks to hurt him from range. Stephens only gives up two inches in arm reach and three in leg reach but it is how Rodriguez covers distance that will be the difference.
Stephens is one of the hardest hitters in the division but Rodriguez is likely to frustrate him by circling and hopping in and out of range with kicks and combinations. Stephens just needs to land once but if Rodriguez can fight patiently he can gradually pile on the damage and, as it is five rounds, he may even pull off a late finish.
Winner: Rodriguez via KO/TKO
Greg Hardy vs Ben Sosoli
The controversial specimen is back in the octagon for the fourth time this year but after Jarjis Danho withdrew from the fight, Ben Sosoli has stepped up to make his UFC debut and topple Greg Hardy.
Hardy is hungry to fast forward his UFC career after leaving his lofty NFL dreams behind. He stumbled on his UFC debut, catching Allen Crowder with an illegal knee to get disqualified. However, he notched two quick knockouts over Dmitry Smoliakov and Juan Adams to stamp his name on the heavyweight map.
Although he didn’t make it very far, Sosoli gained good experience from The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters season. He lost a decision to Juan Espino in the first round but went on to pick up a knockout win for the Hex Fight Series against Kelvin Fitial. This earned him a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series but this ended prematurely due to an eye poke.
PREDICTION
Both men are going to throw big bombs and look for a quick knockout. Their cardio and grappling is very limited at the moment which only means they will exchange more leather. Sosoli has proven one-punch knockout power and can easily catch Hardy, but the former defensive end has the speed, athletic and power advantage and continues to tune his skills at American Top Team. He is expected to pick up his sixth knockout.
Winner: Hardy via KO/TKO
Maycee Barber vs Gilian Robertson
Maycee Barber is on track to become a UFC star and heads to Boston to gain more steam but Gillian Robertson is out to derail the prodigy.
Barber is just 21 years old and looks to settle up a weight class in the flyweight division as she fills out her frame and continues her unbeaten record. She looks like she has all the tools to compete for a belt in the near future and has finished all of her UFC fights via TKO so far. She finished Jamie Colleen (Contender Series), Hannah Aldrich and JJ Aldrich in her last outing.
Robertson is flying in under the radar and has just lost once in her last six fights which was via submission to Mayra Bueno Silva. She has responded with two finishes of her own – a submission over Veronica Macedo and a brilliant TKO over Sarah Frota.
PREDICTION
Robertson is a slick grappler and will prefer to tangle with Barber on the deck but she has to be cautious as Barber has an extremely powerful top game and brutal ground-and-pound. So, they may fight the majority of this fight on the feet to avoid these threats, but this is where Barber will have the edge.
She is getting bigger and stronger and her striking continues to improve to compliment her strong wrestling base. She is expected to dominate the clinch and piece Robertson up when she has space. What was so impressive with her last fight against Aldrich is that she was losing the striking exchanges but adjusted like a veteran to finish the Taekwondo black belt on the feet.
This should be a close scrap, and Robertson will constantly be a threat, but the speed and power of Barber will help her get the points and likely the seventh finish of her career.
Winner: Barber via KO/TKO
Joe Lauzon vs Jonathan Pearce
The UFC warhorse Joe Lauzon welcomes Jonathan Pearce to the big time but wants to teach him a harsh lesson after losing three in a row.
Lauzon makes his 27th UFC appearance and has truly felt the effects of Father Time and the new waves of MMA fighters. Despite his talents he has not won two in a row since 2014 and is coming off three losses. Firstly, a tight decision to Stevie Ray and then TKO finishes to Clay Guida and Chris Gruetzemacher.
At the other end of his UFC career, Pearce makes his first appearance after earning a contract by knocking out Jacob Rosales on Dana White’s Contender Series. This extended his winning streak to four and he now looks ready to fulfil his potential after suffering life-threatening injuries due to a sadistic attack at his gym.
PREDICTION
The experience difference is stark and has to be a factor. Lauzon has seen and done it all at the age of 35, exchanging blood with the best lightweights for over a decade. Pearce has to dump any hesitation to throw and approach this fight aggressively.
Lauzon’s chin is war-beaten and after his last two fights Pearce knows he has to pursue it. However, this is not a big-name fight for Lauzon and he will just want to get the ‘W’ so should look to get the fight to the ground and demonstrate his grappling.
Winner: Lauzon via Submission
Deron Winn vs Darren Stewart
Daniel Cormier’s protégé Deron Winn heads to Boston for his second UFC fight and defends his unbeaten record against the fearsome London striker – Darren ‘The Dentist’ Stewart.
Winn is an interesting prospect. He has the skill set and team to rise to the very top of the UFC but is content with being completely undersized. It seems to work for him though, standing at 5’7” and even competing up at light heavyweight he cuts barely any weight and has looked great in every fight so far with improving striking to compliment his immense wrestling base.
Although more experienced, Stewart is still trying to realise his potential. He is a legit knockout artist and lived up to his reputation in his UFC debut against Francimar Barroso, but his knockout was overturned to a ‘no contest’ due to an accidental headbutt. He then responded to three losses in a row with two vintage TKO wins but was out-grappled again by Edmen Shahbazyan. Now he is coming off a hard-fought decision over Bevon Lewis and desperate to make it two wins in a row,
PREDICTION
Winn looked great in his fight with Eric Spicely, displaying his stand-up skills. However, Spicely is not a striker and if he decides to stand with Stewart, he is getting knocked out. Stewart is a devastating and technical striker from a strong Taekwondo background and with a huge height, reach and size advantage, so Winn will be foolish to trade with ‘The Dentist’ regardless of how successful he was in his last fight.
That said, Winn will surely come up with a strategy with his teammates at AKA and resort to his bread and butter. Do not let the stats of his fight with Spicely fool you, as while his striking excelled there it his exceptional wrestling which will be used to control Stewart for three rounds to pick up a decision.
Winner: Winn via Decision