Five things to watch for in Week 9 of the 2025 UFL season
The St. Louis Battlehawks (6-2) get a test run at The Dome at America's Center this weekend to kick off Week 9 of the UFL season when they host the San Antonio Brahmas (1-7) on Friday (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
Friday's contest is the last home game of the regular season for the Battlehawks, who are a league-best 4-1 at home this year, averaging nearly 30,000 fans a game. The UFL announced that St. Louis will host the DC Defenders (6-2) in the XFL Conference title game on June 8 regardless of how the two teams finish the final two games of the season.
The Battlehawks and the Defenders are tied for the top spot in the XFL Conference and will meet in Washington, D.C. on May 30 in the final game of the regular season. St. Louis will also host the UFL title game on June 14.
"It's a blessing," Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said, when asked about his team's home-field advantage. "It's a blessing to play in a place that's loud, and on third down it's hard for the other team. I wish we could play all 10 (games) here. That would be awesome, and they would show up every week.
"We are very fortunate to have a fan base like this here, and we don't take it for granted ever because we know how important it is."
[MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League ]
Elsewhere, the Memphis Showboats (2-6) host the Arlington Renegades (3-5) on Saturday (noon ET), followed by the Michigan Panthers (6-2) hitting the road to face the Birmingham Stallions (5-3) at Protective Stadium (3 p.m. ET).
In the weekend's finale, the Houston Roughnecks (3-5) host the Defenders on Sunday (4 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
Here's a closer look at five things to watch for in Week 9: 1. Stallions vs. Panthers offers USFL Conference title preview
With Birmingham hosting Michigan in the first round of the playoffs in a few weeks, both teams will keep things simple and look to rest key players with the hopes of entering the postseason as healthy as possible.
The Panthers already started doing that last week, as head coach Mike Nolan did not play star quarterback Bryce Perkins in his team's win over the Roughnecks because of a lingering ankle injury. Perkins also missed practice this week due to the injury, so Michigan signed quarterback Colby Suits to add depth to the position group.
"The biggest decision will be how healthy our roster is and what we need to do, but we won't know that probably until the middle of the week," Nolan said. "That's probably the most important thing, because we want to be healthy going into the playoffs. So, we'll see how that goes. I know that there's a little rivalry going on between us and Birmingham, so I know everybody will want to play, but we'll see."
Birmingham defeated the Panthers earlier this season in Week 2 in Detroit, 21-12. The Stallions are undefeated (6-0) against the Panthers dating back to the return of the legacy USFL in 2022.
"Once you get in, anybody can win it," said Birmingham head coach Skip Holtz, whose Stallions have reached the postseason for a fourth straight year. "We've got to keep growing."
Starting quarterback Alex McGough, who went on IR earlier this year with a right shoulder injury, was a limited participant in practice this week and could be healthy enough to return to the field this weekend. 2. DE Breeland Speaks returns for Panthers
The reigning UFL Defensive Player of the Year, Speaks returned to the team's active roster after being placed on IR for six weeks with a left pectoral injury. Speaks led the league with 9.5 sacks last year but had six combined tackles and no sacks through two games played this season prior to his injury. With the Panthers already clinching a spot in the postseason, returning to the field this weekend gives Speaks a few weeks to knock the rust off.
The Panthers are sixth in the UFL in sacks with 13 on the season and have just seven takeaways this year. 3. QB Kellen Mond returns as Brahmas' starter
Benched for three games in favor of Kevin Hogan, Mond returns to the starting job as San Antonio hits the road this weekend. A San Antonio native and Texas A&M product, Mond started the first five games of the season, completing 57% of his passes for 597 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked 10 times, posting a 69.1 passer rating and going 1-4 as a starter.
Mond replaces Hogan, who is out this week due to an injury to his throwing hand. The Brahmas signed Alan Bowman to serve as the team's third-stringer this week. 4. Battlehawks bring back QB Chevan Cordiero
St. Louis lost starting quarterback Manny Wilkins for the year with an Achilles tendon tear but get back some depth at the position with the return of Cordiero, who started the season as the third-string QB for St. Louis before landing on IR with a hamstring issue. Cordiero didn't appear in any games this season prior to the injury and joins a quarterback room that includes starter Max Duggan and backup Brandon Silvers. To make room for Cordiero, St. Louis released QB Trae Self.
In another roster move, the Showboats released running back Wes Hills this week. 5. Defenders WR Cornell Powell shines
Powell is the new league leader in touchdown receptions with two weeks left in the regular season. The 27-year-old Clemson product tops the UFL with five touchdown receptions on the season.
Powell totaled four receptions for 59 yards and two touchdowns on eight targets in the Defenders' win over the Renegades last week. He has 21 receptions for 314 yards and five scores on 44 targets so far this season.
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 .
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