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#4 Lightweight: Roosevelt Roberts vs. Brok Weaver

Roosevelt Roberts' height and reach make him a tricky opponent for anyone

This Lightweight clash definitely has the potential to be fun – but whether it’ll give us a highlight reel finish is another thing entirely. Realistically, the question of who comes out on top should come down to a simple thing – can Weaver deal with the lanky style of Roosevelt Roberts, both on the feet and inside the clinch?

Roberts – nicknamed ‘The Predator’ for his dreadlocks that he’s since shaved off – made his UFC debut in late 2018 and looked fantastic, using a nasty guillotine to submit Darrell Horcher in the first round. His win over Thomas Gifford was also impressive, as he basically beat Gifford up in every possible area.

At 6’1”, he’s a remarkably tall 155lber and uses his length to his advantage, particularly in the clinch. His long arms mean that he’s capable of latching onto chokes that other fighters might not be able to pull off, but he’s also become a solid striker too, capable of landing heavy shots on his opponents from the outside.

Thus far, he’s only got one loss to his name. That fight saw him outworked by veteran Vinc Pichel, who was able to get inside, take ‘The Predator’ down, and beat him up from top position while avoiding his submission attempts. So could Weaver repeat that feat?

Well, like Pichel, Brok Weaver is a workmanlike fighter who seems comfortable in grinding an opponent out down the stretch. Of his 15 career wins, eight have come by decision, and he’s only been finished twice. He’s a tough guy, capable of absorbing punishment and giving it back, too.

His UFC debut was one to forget – he beat Rodrigo Vargas by DQ after being hit by an illegal knee late in the first round, but before a close guillotine attempt, he was also being hurt by some nasty leg kicks.

Surprisingly enough, ‘Chata Tuska’ stands at 6’0” himself, meaning he doesn’t have so much of a reach disadvantage compare to some of Roberts’ other opponents. However, the likelihood is that Roberts’ use of his length will mean that Weaver will have issues in all areas.

The other problem he’s going to have is that while Roberts was taken down and beaten up by Pichel, the sole reason Pichel’s been able to stick around for as long as he has is that he’s renowned for his freakish physical strength. Weaver just isn’t likely to be able to muscle him around in the same way, and we already saw that Alexander Yakovlev struggled greatly due to the same issue.

Overall I’m not convinced of Weaver’s UFC credentials from what I’ve seen, and with that in mind, I think Roberts will likely have him beaten in all areas. Weaver’s toughness should keep him in the fight until the bitter end, but I think this will be one-sided in favour of ‘The Predator’.

The Pick: Roberts via unanimous decision