Five things to watch for in Week 6 of the 2025 UFL season
Head coach Anthony Becht said at the start of the year that he believed the Battlehawks built a roster that could win the 2025 UFL Championship Game, which takes place on June 14 in front of his team's hometown fans in St. Louis.
[MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League ]
If the playoffs started today, however, the Battlehawks would miss out and be watching from home.
"We've got a huge game next week against a divisional opponent," Becht said. "And I'm just asking everyone to bring a friend."
The contest Becht is referring to is the opening game of Week 6, with the Battlehawks hosting the Arlington Renegades in an all-important XFL Conference tilt on Friday night (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). It's a crucial matchup, with both teams sitting at 3-2 on the season and fighting for the second playoff spot in the division.
The Renegades won the previous head-to-head matchup earlier this year, a 30-15 victory in Arlington in Week 4.
Elsewhere, the Memphis Showboats (1-4) travel to face the Houston Roughnecks (2-3) on Saturday (noon ET).
Closing out the week, the Michigan Panthers (3-2) host the DC Defenders (4-1) at Ford Field on Sunday (noon ET), followed by the San Antonio Brahmas (1-4) traveling to face the Birmingham Stallions (3-2) at Protective Stadium (4 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
Here's a closer look at five things to watch for in Week 6: 1. Renegades CB Ajene Harris leads league in interceptions
One of the main reasons for Arlington's continued success on defense this season is Harris' sharp play.
The USC product and Los Angeles native just earned UFL Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week, finishing with two picks and six combined tackles in a late-game loss to the Defenders last week.
Through five weeks, Harris leads the league in interceptions (three), pass breakups (11) and forced fumbles (two).
"He's continually coming up with big plays," head coach Bob Stoops said about Harris. "And he plays multiple positions … so he understands all the positions. He's really a bright player, on top of being a skilled player." 2. RB Wes Hills returns to UFL with Showboats
One of the top runners in spring football, Memphis brought Hills back to shore up the team's depth at running back.
Williams finished with 277 rushing yards and five touchdowns in eight games for the Panthers in 2024. The year prior, Hills led the legacy USFL in rushing with 679 yards and 10 touchdowns while playing for current Memphis offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone as a part of the now defunct New Orleans Breakers organization.
The Showboats also activated receiver Daewood Davis from IR. An All-UFL selection in 2024 who finished with 41 receptions for 446 receiving yards and five touchdowns, Davis signed with the NFL's Carolina Panthers after the 2024 UFL season but was released due to injury.
The Renegades also executed a trade this week, sending linebacker Storey Jackson to the Brahmas for defensive end Ikenna Enechukwu.
Kellen Mond could be holding a clipboard for the Brahmas when they travel to Birmingham this weekend.
An ineffective Mond was replaced in the second half by Jarrett Guarantano in San Antonio's home-opening loss to the Roughnecks in Week 5. However, Brahmas head coach Payton Pardee indicated that the quarterback switch could be permanent, as he declined to name a starter for this weekend's game.
"I believe in all three quarterbacks we have," Pardee said. "I think they're all very talented. They all have unique skill sets, so I feel very confident in the players that we have in that room, but that's going to be something that we evaluate this week in practice."
In five starts, Mond has completed 56.8% of his passes for 597 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Guarantano finished 6-of-15 for 29 yards in his first action of the season last week. 4. Roughnecks host Showboats in rematch
Houston defeated Memphis by one point, 18-17, on the road in Week 3 — the team's first victory of the season at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. This week, the Showboats get a shot at revenge when they travel to face the Roughnecks in Houston.
Starting for the first time this season, Memphis QB Dresser Winn earned Offensive Player of the Week honors for Week 5, completing 17 of his 29 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown in a 24-20 overtime win over Birmingham.
Winn gets an opportunity to see if he can play efficient football for a second straight week against a Houston defense holding opponents to 14.3 points per game over the past three weeks, with the Roughnecks winning two of those.
On the other side, Houston QB Jalan McClendon continues to play solid football. Since taking over as the team's starter, he has completed 70% of his passes for 407 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. McClendon has also rushed for 34 yards and a score. 5. Panthers WR Samson Nacua suspended one game for altercation with fan
The UFL announced this week that it handed down a one-game suspension without pay to Nacua after a video emerged showing him striking a Battlehawks fan in an altercation after the Panthers' Week 5 road game in St. Louis.
Nacua, who agreed to participate in community service, will miss this weekend's away game against the Defenders.
Nacua is the older brother of Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua. His other brother, Kai Nacua, plays in the UFL as a safety for Michigan.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him at @eric_d_williams .
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience United Football League Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov prediction, pick, start time for UFC on ABC 9
Nikita Krylov and Bogdan Guskov meet Saturday in the main card opener of UFC on ABC 9 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. Last event: 2-3 UFC main cards, 2025: 70-53-1 Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov UFC on ABC 9 preview Krylov (30-10 MMA, 11-8 UFC) will aim to rebound from a first-round knockout loss to Dominick Reyes at UFC 314 in April. That result snapped a three-fight winning streak, which included stoppages of Alexander Gustafsson and Ryan Spann, with a unanimous decision nod over Volkan Oezdemir. ... Guskov (17-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) quickly righted the ship after being submitted by Oezdemir in his 2023 UFC debut. Since then, Guskov has finished three straight opponents: Zac Pauga, Billy Elekana, and the aforementioned Spann. Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov UFC on ABC 9 expert pick, prediction Despite having excellent lighter-weight action fights below and above this bout, the UFC matchmakers and their love for force-feeding us big guys on Fight Night main cards strikes again. Although Krylov is a tenured light heavyweight who deserves some love, and Guskov is someone who brings the action, this fight will likely be the equivalent of one of those highway car crashes that everyone slows down to look at – but no one seems to remember by the time they get to where they're going. Krylov's last loss is probably giving pause to many, but given that I predicted and expected that exact outcome opposite Dominick Reyes – I can't say that I'm ready to condemn "The Miner" over it. In fact, I suspect that Krylov's last loss will only further encourage him to exploit the major weakness in Guskov's game, which is wrestling. For that reason, I'll pick Krylov to get back on track with a submission win in Round 1. Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov UFC on ABC 9 odds The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the more experienced fighter, listing Krylov -202 and Guskov +172 via FanDuel. Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov UFC on ABC 9 start time, how to watch As the main card opener, Krylov and Guskov are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 12:10 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ABC and streams on ESPN+.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Michael Harris II's solo homer (8)
Michael Harris II hits a solo home run to right-center field in the top of the 7th inning to make it 4-1
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa prediction, pick, start time for UFC on ABC 9
Asu Almabayev and Jose Ochoa meet Saturday on the main card of UFC on ABC 9 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. Last event: 2-3 UFC main cards, 2025: 70-53-1 Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 preview Almabayev (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) suffered the first loss of his UFC career in his previous outing in March, where he was finished in the third round by Manel Kape. That result snapped a 17-fight winning streak. Prior to that setback, Almabayev won his first four UFC bouts, including a debut submission of Ode Osbourne. ... Ochoa (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) enters on the heels of a second-round stoppage of Cody Durden in June. That fight marked a successful rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Lone'er Kavanagh, which was the only loss of his pro career. Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 expert pick, prediction Serving as a solid offering at flyweight is an impromptu fight between Asu Almabayev and Jose Ochoa. Almabayev was initially scheduled to meet an orthodox fighter in Ramazan Temirov, but will now face a southpaw in Ochoa. Although Almabayev is technically 2-0 opposite UFC-level southpaws, those stats can be deceptive when you dive into them (especially his controversial split-decision win over Zach Makovsky). It's also worth noting that Almbayev looked lost when facing Manel Kape – who primarily fought the Kazak from southpaw. Ochoa is obviously not the same fighter as Kape, but the Peruvian has an excellent striking arsenal and is still showing fight-to-fight improvements in the rest of his game given his young age. For that reason, I'll take a flier on Ochoa to further expose Almabayev's one-note game by producing a finish in Round 2. Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 odds Despite the oddsmakers opening the Kazakh fighter as a wide favorite, public money has been coming in on the Peruvian, listing Almabayev -117 and Ochoa -103 via FanDuel. Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 start time, how to watch Almabayev and Ochoa are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 12:40 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ABC and streams on ESPN+.
