If you’re hoping to see finishes at UFC Vegas 39 on Saturday night then prepare yourself for middleweights—Phil Hawes and Deron Winn who will finally have their chance to scrap after their July bout had to be rescheduled due to Winn’s serious injury.
Up-and-comer Phil Hawes (32), began his MMA career in 2014 in the Legacy Fighting Championship after standing out as junior-college champion in Iowa state. He’s had stints on season 23 of the Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series, but took his time to break onto the scene.
With a current record of 11-2, the New Jersey born fighter finds himself making his fourth walk to the octagon, where he currently stands at 3-0 under the UFC lights. Hawes earned himself a first round finish over Jacob Malkoun in his debut and followed it up with two 2021 decision wins over Nassourdine Imavov and Kyle Daukaus. However, don’t be put off by those last two decisions, the middleweight carries serious power in his hands.
Deron Winn (32), born and raised in Liberty, Missouri, is another man with an impressive background in wrestling and will also be known to have a close friendship with Daniel Cormier himself. He holds a record of 7-2, which surprisingly contains no submission wins, given his wrestling credentials, with four of them coming inside the octagon.
The most notable feature of Winn’s is his uncommon 5’5 height, making him one of the shortest middleweights in the UFC. However, this didn’t stop him from getting a debut win against Eric Spicely, as the judges awarded him the unanimous decision and saw him take home the fight of the night.
His great start was not continued unfortunately as he found himself on the end of back-to-back defeats to Darren Stewart and Gerald Meerschaert. After his fight with Meerschaert, Winn tested positive for amphetamines and saw himself on the end of a nine month suspension. Most recently, he took on Antônio Arroyo in December of 2020 and got the job done with another win on the judge’s cards.
Fight Prediction:
With the two 32-year-olds ready to go at it, I’d expect to see Phil Hawes take the centre and work the jab early on. Winn will have to work the legs and do what he can to take the fight to the ground. Hawes will prepare for this and be ready to tee off on his opponent early on.
With both of them having backgrounds in wrestling, don’t be surprised to see this fight contain plenty of clinches and ground work. However, I can see Phil Hawes’ height and power being too much for Winn who will more than likely, look for the KO/TKO victory.
Route to Victory—Phil Hawes
- Keep a hold of the centre.
- Take early advantage of his jab.
- Pick the moments to throw the heavy strikes.
Route to Victory—Deron Winn
- Work the body/legs.
- Find the takedown and take advantage of the ground and pound.
Fight Prediction: Phil Hawes via. TKO/KO.
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