The UFC has agreements in place for a fun middleweight matchup in June. MMA Fighting was the first to report earlier this afternoon that the promotion has finalized a matchup between Phil “Megatron” Hawes (11-3) and Deron Winn (7-2).
The matchup will take place at a UFC Fight Night on June 18th. This is the third time this fight between Hawes and Winn has been scheduled. For Deron Winn, he’s going to be looking for his second straight victory when he fights the dangerous Phil Hawes in June.
That being said, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Winn inside the octagon. His last UFC appearance came over a year ago when he fought Antonio Arroyo at a UFC Fight Night in December 2020.
Winn picked up the decision win which snapped a two-fight losing streak. Prior to that win, he was submitted by Gerald Meerschaert and he lost a close split decision to Darren Stewart. If Winn is able to come back and beat Hawes, that’ll be huge for his standing in the UFC’s middleweight division.
UFC Bounce Back for Hawes?
After getting a first round knockout on The Contender Series, Phil Hawes earned himself a UFC contract. He started his octagon career with a 3-0 start which included a win over Nassourdine Imavov which continues to look better and better.
Twice last year, Hawes was scheduled to fight Winn. However, the fight fell through on both occasions. Ultimately, Hawes landed on a fight at UFC 268 with previously perceived journeyman Chris Curtis.
Well, Curtis shocked the world and Hawes by knocking him out in the first round. That completely halted the hype train of Hawes and now he’s looking to bounce back in his next trip inside the octagon.
A win would mean so much for both men given where they stand in the UFC’s middleweight division. Whoever wins is looking at a potential ranked opponent while the loser has a steeper climb back into that conversation.