The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Boston this Friday for UFC on ESPN 6. A number of ranked fighters are competing on the main card, so let’s take a look at them and the possible implications their fights could have on the rankings.
In the headliner, Dominick Reyes welcomes Chris Weidman to the light heavyweight division. Reyes (11-0) is currently undefeated and is coming off decision victories over Ovince St. Preux and Volkan Oezdemir. In total, “The Devastator” is 5-0 with the promotion and as a result, he is rated as the seventh-best light heavyweight in the world by Sherdog and ESPN as well as the No. 4 contender in the UFC rankings.
Meanwhile, Weidman (14-4) will be looking for a successful light heavyweight debut. The former middleweight champion is making the move up after four knockout defeats in his last five outings, the most recent of which was a TKO defeat to Ronaldo Souza in November last year. Despite his setbacks, “The All American” is still ranked No. 8 in the UFC middleweight rankings. It is very likely that a win on Friday for either competitor could see them get the next shot at Jon Jones. Weidman, in particular, could leapfrog a number of contenders and take the spot of Reyes with a victory.
In the co-main event, Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens will run things back and hope for a definitive outcome this time. The two featherweights met in the UFC Mexico City headliner last month, only for the contest to last just seconds after an accidental eye poke on Stephens.
Rodriguez (11-2 1NC) is still rated as the eighth-best featherweight in the world by Sherdog while he sits at No. 7 in the UFC rankings. Stephens (28-16 1NC), meanwhile, is regarded as the eighth-best 145-pounder in the world by ESPN and is the No. 8 contender in the UFC rankings. A win for either fighter will likely not see them move up significantly in the ranks, though Stephens would likely overtake “El Pantera” in the rankings.
Lastly, there is ranked women’s flyweight action as Maycee Barber meets Gillian Robertson in a battle of finishers. Barber (7-0) has been on a tear since debuting for the promotion last year. So far, "The Future" owns TKO victories over Hannah Cifers and J.J. Aldrich. She will be looking to make it three in a row this Friday and climb the ranks further as she sits at No. 12 in the UFC rankings.
Robertson (7-3) is also quite the finisher. "The Savage" has won via finish in all three of her UFC wins, the most recent being a TKO victory over Sarah Frota at UFC 240. With three victories in four UFC fights in total, the Canadian is currently ranked No. 15 in the UFC rankings. A win over Barber could see her rise up to No. 12 in the ranks.