Phil Hawes and Deron Winn will finally, hopefully, maybe (fingers crossed) face off at the UFC’s upcoming June 18, 2022 event.
The middleweight duo, who have been booked twice previously, are back on for that date. MMA Fighting was first to report the news, which was subsequently confirmed by Winn on social media, who added “3rd times a charm?” in doing so.
Hawes (11-3) and Winn (7-2) saw their previous dates, both in 2021, fall through due to Winn withdrawing.
Winn entered the UFC in 2019 off a perfect 5-0 start to his career, and to much fanfare as a teammate of former UFC double champ Daniel Cormier. Dropping to middleweight for his debut, Winn won against Eric Spicely, only to falter in his next two fights, losing to both Darren Stewart and Gerald Meerschaert.
Controversy surrounded both losses. In the first, Winn missed weight; the second saw him fail a drug test for amphetamines. That resulted in a nine month suspension by the NSAC.
In his last fight, in December 2020, Winn got back in the win column, picking up a unanimous decision victory against Antonio Arroyo in a 195lb catchweight bout. Injury and illness has kept him out of the octagon since.
Phil Hawes, a WSOF and Brave CF veteran who twice appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series, started his UFC run with three straight wins. That streak was snapped by Chris Curtis last November at UFC 268, with Hawes knocked out in the first round.
The UFC’s June 18, 2022 event does not have a venue, location, or broadcast plan officially announced. Thus far, only one other bout has been reported for the Fight Night card. That will see Julian “The Cuban Missile Crisis” Marquez face Brazilian Wellington Turman. Marquez vs. Turman will also be contested at middleweight.
