UFC Boston is one of the rare Friday night cards, and while this card doesn’t look like the strongest card, I think it could deliver some entertaining fights. For me, I am beyond excited for the return of Motherfucking Meatball Molly McCann. She probably had one of the best prelim fights of the year against the Violence Queen Ariane Lipski. It was definitely the crowd’s loudest prelim fight of the year. We get former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman’s light heavyweight debut. Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens get to step into the octagon and settle their blood feud that’s been boiling since the eye poke of doom in Mexico City. Then we get some top prospects looking to get big wins in Maycee Barber, Gillian Robertson (facing Maycee Barber so only one of them can get a big win), Deron Winn, and even Dominick Reyes. Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, but I think this card should be pretty entertaining.
MAIN CARD
CHRIS WEIDMAN V. DOMINICK REYES
This is a tough fight to predict. Chris Weidman had one of the best runs in middleweight division history. Weidman made his UFC debut in 2011 beating Tom Lawlor by submission in the first round. He then went on to beat Demian Maia, Mark Munoz, Anderson Silva (to win UFC gold), Anderson Silva again, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort. Then it got rocky for the All American. He got absolutely destroyed by Luke Rockhold, who took the title. Then got KO’d by Yoel Romero on a flying knee counter to a Weidman takedown attempt. Then Gegard Mousasi beat him by TKO, in fluky fashion. Mousasi hit some knees that were borderline illegal, and Weidman was told he had 5 minutes to recover. Then replay review showed they weren’t illegal, but since Weidman took 5 minutes when they weren’t illegal, they called the fight by TKO. He bounced back with a 3rd round submission win over Kelvin Gastelum but lost his most recent fight in November 2018 to Jacare Souza by 3rd round KO. Weidman has taken a lot of damage in his career and his chin seems to be glass these days. But Weidman is moving up a division, and not cutting weight could be beneficial to Weidman. He won’t be as depleted, and his brain will be better protected since he isn’t dehydrating himself. I wonder if he is going up a weight class the right way, putting on some muscle, and not just skipping cardio because he doesn’t need to get to 185. Weidman is a pressure boxer that likes to move forward working towards a takedown. This method worked for middleweight division, when Weidman had a chin, but can his chin take any shots from light heavyweights? Luke Rockhold’s didn’t when he made his light heavyweight debut (and finale) earlier this year. Weidman’s power hasn’t been there in his last couple of fights, so he has been trying to grind out wins, which doesn’t work with a glass chin. Both of his TKO losses to Jacare and Romero, Weidman was winning the entire fight, until he got caught and dropped. That doesn’t bode well for his light heavyweight debut against future title challenger Dominick Reyes. Reyes will be bigger, stronger, and faster than Weidman. Weidman will have a 1 inch reach advantage, but that doesn’t really matter when Weidman will be trying to get close. If this was a 3 round fight, I would have more confidence in Weidman. But as a 5 round fight, Weidman will have to survive 25 minutes without getting caught. He hasn’t shown that ability in his last couple of fights (except the Kelvin fight). The winner of this fight could be the next challenger to Jon Jones’ light heavyweight title. I think Weidman will come out strong and pressure Reyes, and Reyes will be patient until Weidman leaves an opening. Then the Devastator will strike.
Dominick Reyes by 3rd round TKO
YAIR RODRIGUEZ V. JEREMY STEPHENS
I was excited for this fight the first time it was scheduled for Mexico City. That fight lasted 15 seconds before an eye poke ended the fight in a no contest. Since then, Yair and Stephens have been yapping back and forth. There is a lot of emotion in this matchup, and that changes the dynamic of this fight slightly. For the first couple of weeks after this fight was rebooked, I was sure Stephens would win. Yair called him a coward, and Stephens didn’t appreciate it. I thought that motivation would carry him to victory. But this week, Stephens looks a little too heated. As we’ve seen several times over the last couple of years, too much emotion isn’t a good thing. Think Juan Adams v. Greg Hardy, or Jose Aldo v. Conor McGregor. Juan Adams and Jose Aldo were heated, and those fights didn’t last long.
Both fighters have finishing power, and both can be quite vicious. Yair is a little patient, at times too patient, and looks to find a kill shot (see his literal last second knockout of the Korean Zombie). Yair is explosive and can take advantage of any opening he can find and end the fight. Stephens is a boxer that enjoys brawls. He loves a dirty fight and has learned to be a little more patient in his approach. He is a lot more cautious than he was earlier in his career. But he hates Yair and this might lead him to being reckless. I see this fight going one of two routes: 1. Stephens angrily charges in and gets picked apart/KO’d viciously or 2. Stephens angrily charges in and takes Yair out with one of his devastating strikes. You also must wonder whether Stephens’ eye is healed. He wore sunglasses to the media events and the eye poke of doom took place around a month ago.
Jeremy Stephens by decision
GREG HARDY V. BEN SOSOLI
As much as most people hate Greg Hardy, you must admit the guy does have some talent. He is powerful, he is fast, and he is a great athlete. He has only been doing MMA for a couple of years and he is only going to get better. UFC doesn’t always treat rising prospects like they treat Greg Hardy. They are taking his progress very slowly. They’ve been feeding him guys that aren’t that UFC caliber fighters, and my only complaint about this system is that they keep putting him on the main card. If the UFC keeps feeding Hardy jobbers, I will ride the Hardy hype train.
Greg Hardy by 1st round KO
JOE LAUZON V. JONATHAN PEARCE
Boston local Joe Lauzon is making what could (and probably should) be his last trip to the octagon. He has been fighting forever and has been in decline for quite a while. Lauzon is one of the toughest guys in UFC history. He is built in the Cowboy Cerrone model of fight anyone anywhere. This hasn’t always worked out best, but Lauzon always put on entertaining fights. But he has been slowing down and is coming into this fight on a 3 fight losing streak, losing by KO in his last 2 fights. He doesn’t seem to have the chin anymore and his reflexes have slowed down quite a bit. Lauzon is squaring off against Jonathan Pearce, who won a contract on Dana White Contender Series in July 2019 with a 3rd round TKO over Jacob Rosales. Pearce has a lot of power, 7 of his 9 wins are by TKO/KO. The rest of his fight game is quite raw and needs some work. He will be faster than Lauzon and his gas tank will be better than Lauzon’s, but I don’t think it will become much of a factor. It would be great if he could pull off one more win in his hometown and ride off into the sunset with a nice win, but I don’t see it happening.
Jonathan Pearce by 1st round TKO
MAYCEE BARBER V. GILLIAN ROBERTSON
A battle of top women flyweight prospects. Maycee Barber has a ton of hype behind her, and I get why. She is 7-0 with 4 TKO/KO’s, 2 submissions, and 1 decision. She won a contract on Dana White Contender Series with a 3rd round TKO win over Jamie Colleen in July 2018. Her UFC debut was in November 2018 and she beat Hannah Cifers with a 2nd round TKO. She followed that up with a 2nd round TKO over J.J. Aldrich in March 2019. So, it’s safe to say, Barber is a stud prospect with a lot of power and explosiveness.
She is going up against a tough Gillian Robertson. Robertson got to the UFC by way of Ultimate Fighter Season 26, the women’s flyweight tournament. She didn’t win, but she impressed Dana enough to get a contract. She won her UFC debut against Emily Whitmire with a 1st round armbar submission win. She followed that up by beating Meatball Molly McCann by submission in the 2nd round. Then got her first UFC loss, losing to Mayra Bueno Silva by a 1st round armbar submission. She followed that up with a 2nd round rear naked choke win over Veronica Macedo and a 2nd round TKO over Sarah Frota.
Both women are tough fighters that finish fights. Neither has gone to the judge’s scorecards since joining the UFC. They have similar strengths, clinch fighting, takedowns, top position, ground and pound. I am intrigued by this matchup. Will they play into their strengths, or will they avoid their strengths and have a kickboxing match? If it is a kickboxing match, Barber has the advantage. She is bigger, more powerful, and more athletic. I think it might start as a kickboxing match, but if Barber touches Robertson, Robertson will try to get a takedown. I don’t know if it’ll be the best plan, but Robertson is a submission specialist. I think Barber’s athleticism and strength will be too much for Robertson.
Maycee Barber by 3rd round TKO
DERON WINN V. DARREN STEWART
Deron Winn aka Mini DC had trouble making middleweight. It’s impressive considering he’s 5.5 feet tall. He debuted against Eric Spicely earlier this year and out lasted him for a win. Winn put on a good pace and didn’t tire out. He fights like DC too. One thing I noticed was he would drop his hands in the later rounds, like DC did against Stipe. While that might be ok against lesser talent, as he rises through the division, it’s going to be a hole he needs to fill in his game. He isn’t tall, so he needs to get in close. Getting into opponent’s range with your hands down, will end in devastating fashion. Winn isn’t only short and round like DC, but he is also a very accomplished and skilled wrestler. He uses it as a backup crutch in case he can’t get in a groove with his striking, which is powerful. Winn is going up against Darren Stewart. Stewart debuted in the UFC in March 2017 with a 7-0 record with 5 TKO/KO’s. He was proclaimed to be a knockout artist. Since joining the UFC, Stewart has gone 3-4 with 2 TKO/KO wins and 1 decision win, to go along with 2 submission losses and 2 decision losses. His last couple of fights he has shown a tentativeness that leads to boring fights. He lost his mojo and his last fight, a June 2019 win over Bevon Lewis, had the pace and activeness of Francis Ngannou v. Derrick Lewis. Maybe Stewart has worked on his striking and grappling and found his confidence. But I think it more likely that Winn will be aggressive and smother Stewart with power punches and/or his short round frame.
Deron Winn by decision
PRELIMS
CHARLES ROSA V. MANNY BERMUDEZ
Two Boston locals are squaring off in the featured prelim fight. Charles Rosa has traded wins and losses since he joined the UFC in 2014. He is 2-3 and is coming off a loss to Shane Burgos, but that fight was in April 2017. Rosa has been injured the last 2.5 years and is finally making his return to the octagon. He is an entertaining fighter that mostly strikes using kicks and has a decent grappling game. Unfortunately for him, he is going up against a fighter in Manny Bermudez that has an even more dangerous ground game. Bermudez is going to try to take this fight to the ground and get another submission win. Eleven of Bermudez’s fourteen wins have been by submission. Since making his UFC debut in February 2018, Bermudez is 3-1 with 3 submission wins, and one decision loss. Bermudez is coming off an embarrassing loss though. In August, he was scheduled to face off against former flyweight Casey Kenney, in a bantamweight fight. Bermudez came into fight week heavy and they ended up fighting at a catchweight of 140 lbs. Bermudez came in as the bigger fighter, missed weight, and essentially had Casey Kenney fight up two weight classes; and Bermudez still lost the fight. Kenney just controlled the entire time. Bermudez missed weight in two of his UFC fights, so they made him move up to featherweight for this fight. And the fucking guy missed weight again. It’s ridiculous. His one job is to make weight, show up for the fight, and fight. To miss weight for 3 out of 5 fights is just embarrassing. Especially since this time was after he moved up a weight class. All of that considered, I don’t think Charles Rosa is a tougher matchup than Casey Kenney. Rosa is coming off a long layoff due to injuries, so we don’t know how he will handle the young and hungry grappler.
Manny Bermudez by 1st round submission
MOTHERFUCKING MEATBALL MOLLY MCCANN V. DIANA BELBITA
Motherfucking Meatball Molly McCann is finally returning to the octagon since the battle of the nicknames, against the Violence Queen Ariane Lipski in June. Meatball won that fight by decision. It was an exciting fight and I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a crowd so loud during prelims as they were during Meatball v. Violence Queen. There’s something awesome about loud, “Meatball” chants during a UFC event. Either way, she won a lot of fans that night with her boxing and pressure style.
She is paired up with the Warrior Princess Diana Belbita for another great battle of nicknames. Belbita is making her UFC debut. She’s a kickboxer and will be more than happy to stand with Meatball and brawl. This should be a fun fight.
Motherfucking Meatball Molly McCann by decision
KYLE BOCHNIAK V. SEAN WOODSON
This is a do or die fight for Kyle Bochniak. He has not had the most successful run in the UFC. He is 1-3 since joining the UFC. He lost a decision in his debut to Jeremy Kennedy; then he beat Brandon Davis by decision in his second fight; then he lost consecutive decisions to Zabit Magomedsharipov and Hakeem Dawodu. Those last two fights were very tough, and he showed some grit in surviving those two fights. Bochniak is going to bring the fight to his opponent. Sean Woodson won a contract from Dana White Contender Series this year. He was a late notice fill in, was getting dominated for most of the fight, then he hit an awesome flying knee for a devastating knockout. While the flying knee was great, and he showed “killer instinct” or whatever Dana calls it to justify giving out contracts on DWCS. The key to remember though is that Woodson was getting dominated up until that point. His grappling is weak, and his striking is clunky. He is still trying to figure out how to use his size advantage to leverage his opponents into bad spots. I think Bochniak can out point him on the feet or take him down and dominate on the ground.
Kyle Bochniak by decision
RANDY COSTA V. BOSTON SALMON
Both guys made their UFC debut in April 2019, and both lost. It was Costa’s first loss in his professional career, he was submitted by Brandon Davis. It was Salmon’s first TKO loss, a 25 second KO by Khalid Taha, and it was his second loss overall in his professional career. Costa is a Joe Lauzon guy, so he is a Boston local. He will have the crowd on his side. Costa is a fast starter and he brings the heat. He has good power and can take someone out. All 4 of his wins have been by TKO/KO, so we know he is dangerous. Salmon has a better gas tank and is a bit more technical in his approach, but as we saw in his fight against Taha he is susceptible to eating big shots and go down. If this fight makes it out of the first round, Salmon has the big advantage. That’s a pretty big “if” when talking about Costa’s power.
Randy Costa by 1st round TKO
COURT MCGEE V. SEAN BRADY
Long time vet Court McGee takes on newcomer Sean Brady in a fun matchup. McGee is going to want a dirty brawl. Brady is a kickboxer with semi decent grappling game. Brady is undersized, so he’s going to have to get close and McGee can use that to keep the fight in his wheelhouse, clinching and dirty brawl.
Court McGee by decision
KEVIN HOLLAND V. BRENDAN ALLEN
Kevin Holland is 3-1 in the UFC since winning a contract from Dana White Contender Series in June 2018. That one loss is a short notice fight against Thiago Santos and that was his debut. Not the worst loss to have on your record. Holland is a lanky fighter and has an awkward style. He likes to talk trash while fighting too. It can be distracting in a fight. Especially for a new comer like Brendan Allen. Allen is a wrestler and a grinder. He’s going to try to take this fight to the ground. Holland has an insane reach advantage and Allen won’t be able to stand with him. Unfortunately for Allen, Holland is a good grappler too.
Kevin Holland by 2nd round submission
DANIEL SPITZ V. TANNER BOSER
Daniel Spitz is making his 4th trip to the octagon. He is 1-2 and hasn’t been the most impressive prospect. He is pretty raw and has a lot to work on before he can do some damage in the octagon. He has a lot of power, but not much defense. Tanner Boser is making his UFC debut. He is a volume striker, which is pretty odd for heavyweight. He’s a smart fighter but not a lot of power. He’s going to try to out point Spitz. Spitz is going to try to knock Boser’s head off his shoulders.
Tanner Boser by decision
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT
MOTHERFUCKING MEATBALL MOLLY MCCANN V. DIANA BELBITA