Dominick Reyes welcomes former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman to the light heavyweight division when the two fighters exchange blows at UFC on ESPN 6 or UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs Weidman on October 18, 2019, at the TD Garden in Boston.
And you can find the best betting odds for this exciting UFC event in any of our trusted MMA betting sites.
Dominick Reyes is the UFC’s #4 ranked light-heavyweight contender today. He stands 6-4 and has a reach of 77 inches and has a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Known as the Devastator, the 29-year old from California fought for King of the Cage and LFA before signing with the UFC in 2017. He’s made an impact in the UFC as this IT Technical Support graduate from Stony Brook University is unbeaten in the Octagon in five bouts. Reyes is 11-0 with 6 knockouts and 2 submissions overall. In the UFC, he is 5-0 with three stoppages although his last two wins have come by decision. In his last fight, Reyes defeated Volkan Oezdemir via split decision.
Chris Weidman is a. former UFC middleweight champion. He is best known for ending Anderson Silva’s long reign as the middleweight king in the UFC. Weidman beat Silva twice and made three successful defenses of the middleweight title before losing it to Luke Rockhold. Since losing to Rockhold, he is 1-3 and is on a downward spiral. After losing his most recent fight to Ronaldo Souza at UFC 230, Weidman decided to move up to 205-pounds. Known as the All-American for his collegiate wrestling background, Weidman is 14-4 with six knockouts and four submission victories. He stands 6-2 and has a reach of 78 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter. Weidman is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.
We’ve seen Chris Weidman’s performance decline since he lost the UFC middleweight title to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194 and that is something that cannot be ignored when making a bet. Weidman was 13-0 before that bout and has been 1-4 since, including the Rockhold loss. All four losses came via knockout and there seems to be something wrong there.
The All-American is now 35 years old and has been fighting in the UFC since 2011. The wear and tear of a long and bruising career have taken its toll on him. Weidman no longer has the ability to take a heavy hit, much more heavy damage. I’m sure his mind is telling him that he can still compete but his body is saying otherwise.
Against Reyes, Weidman is facing a 29-year old fighter who has more to gain than to lose. Picking up a win over a former champion will fast track his ascent in the rankings and Reyes knows that.
Make no mistake, Chris Weidman has the better skill set than Dominick Reyes in this matchup but I don’t think it will go down to that.
Reyes is a former defensive linebacker and while he doesn’t have Weidman’s wrestling pedigree, his wrestling isn’t at all that shabby. Reyes has the physical tools and capability to scramble on the mat and prevent Weidman from taking over this fight on the mat. With his ability to fight off Weidman’s threat on the ground, I think this fight will be worn on the feet.
The accuracy and striking output of Reyes should be the difference here. I think he will be able to outwork Weidman in the striking game. Reyes is athletic and explosive while Weidman is always a knockout waiting to happen. He has six knockouts to his name while all of Weidman’s four losses have come via stoppage. I’ve done the math, I think Weidman is going to get floored again.
I respect Chris Weidman and what he has done in the UFC. But he is moving up in weight class here and facing an opponent who is hungry to get a big name on his resume. Weidman has been there while Reyes is still looking for that signature win that puts him near a title shot. I’m not sure what motivation Weidman has in moving up at age 35. Reyes meanwhile wants that big win badly.
Weidman has been calling out Jon Jones lately and while I can’t be sure, I think he is already looking too far ahead. He may be taking Dominick Reyes for granted and that is a big mistake. Reyes is not just the bigger puncher between the two of them. He is also the hungrier lion. I think Chris Weidman tries to get this fight to the ground and he will have some success. But every round starts on the feet and it doesn’t take too many big strikes to knock out Chris Weidman. I think Weidman’s story ends here. I’m picking Dominick Reyes to beat Chris Weidman.
PREDICTION: DOMINICK REYES
This was the main event of UFC Fight Night 159 in Mexico and was expected to be a barn burner. However, the fight ended after only 15 seconds following an eye poke from Rodriguez which prevented Stephens from continuing. The UFC quickly rebooked it and so we run it back again and hopefully, no more untoward incidents this time around.
If this fight was booked a couple of years ago, Yair Rodriguez would have been an easy pick to make because, during that time, Stephens was always willing to brawl in order to get a victory. But time has gained Li’l Heathen experience and plenty of patience that he is able to pick his spots to be aggressive and think about defense while on the attack. Because of Stephens’ newfound controlled aggression, he isn’t easy to beat. Sure, he lost his last two bouts, but this version of Jeremy Stephens is a calculated predator and if he plays it correctly here, he has a good shot at winning a decision. Stephens is the smart pick here but I just can’t disregard Yair’s creativity and ability to find something out of nothing. My problem with Stephens is that while he is a changed fighter, his tendency to get wild still comes out, just like in the Aldo fight. I think if Rodriguez plays his cards right, he can lure Stephens to revert back to the reckless brawler and score the finish.
PREDICTION: YAIR RODRIGUEZ
There’s plenty of buzz surrounding Greg Hardy.This former NFL player lost his job mainly because of domestic violence issues so you can’t question his willingness to fight (haha). He trained in MMA and appeared in Dana White’s Contender Series. After three MMA fights, he earned a UFC contract but his UFC debut ended in a DQ loss after he landed an illegal knee. Hardy’s won back to back fights via knockout but against tomato cans. Now he gets Australian newcomer Ben Sosoli who is 7-2 with 1 NC. Little is known of Sosoli except that he has six knockouts and that he last for Hex Fighting Series.
The MMA betting odds here look lopsided but this is a heavyweight fight and one punch can end the night. Sosoli does have punching power so there is always that chance that he lands. Hardy is also heavy-handed but we’ve seen him back down a bit when he is met by resistance. If Sosoli survives the first round, he may have a legit chance here. The question is if he will. Hardy’s a football bully and he’s proven that he beats up not just girlfriends but real heavyweights as well. I think Dana White put Sosoli in there to be hit and Hardy will hit him hard.
PREDICTION: GREG HARDY
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