Dominick Reyes is undefeated and No. 7 in ESPN’s light heavyweight Top 10. Chris Weidman is a former middleweight champion making his long-awaited debut at 205 pounds. Their clash in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Friday in Boston has significant implications for the weight class ruled by pound-for-pound No. 1 Jon Jones. Whoever wins could be next in line for a shot at Jones.
But before Reyes and Weidman step inside the Octagon at TD Garden, there are a dozen other fights. A rematch between Jeremy Stephens and Yair Rodriguez has added heat because of how the featherweights’ first meeting played out on Sept. 21 when the fight was called after just 15 seconds because Rodriguez accidentally poked Stephens in the eye.
There’s a heavyweight bout featuring former NFL player Greg Hardy. And there’s the return to action of Massachusetts veteran Joe Lauzon, who has earned a UFC-high 15 fight bonuses, along with a meeting of two other locals, Manny Bermudez (born in Boston) and Charles Rosa (Peabody, Mass.). Maycee Barber faces Gillian Robertson in a battle of two of the top 25 MMA fighters under 25 according to ESPN.
Fight in progress
Heavyweight: Daniel Spitz (6-2, +105) vs. Tanner Boser (16-5-1, -135)
Still to come
Light heavyweight: Dominick Reyes (11-0, -170) vs. Chris Weidman (14-4, +140)
Featherweight: Yair Rodriguez (12-2, -130) vs. Jeremy Stephens (28-16, +100)
Heavyweight: Greg Hardy (5-1, -320) vs. Ben Sosoli (7-2, +250)
Lightweight: Joe Lauzon (27-16, +135) vs. Jonathan Pearce (9-3, -165)
Flyweight: Maycee Barber (7-0, -155) vs. Gillian Robertson (7-3, +125)
Middleweight: Deron Winn (6-0, -140) vs. Darren Stewart (10-4, +110)
Featherweight: Charles Rosa (11-3, +130) vs. Manny Bermudez (14-1, -160)
Flyweight: Molly McCann (9-2, -500) vs. Diana Belbita (13-4, +350)
Featherweight: Kyle Bochniak (8-4, -130) vs. Sean Woodson (6-0, +100)
Bantamweight: Randy Costa (4-1, +130) vs. Boston Salmon (6-2, -160)
Welterweight: Court McGee (20-8, +190) vs. Sean Brady (10-0, -240)
Middleweight: Brendan Allen (12-3, +135) vs. Kevin Holland (16-4, -165)