Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Houston

Middleweights aiming to cement their position at the top of the division to kick off the year meet in the main event as Sean Strickland squares off with Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez.

The former champion Strickland returns for the first time since his failed bid to reclaim the title from Dricus Du Plessis last year in Sydney, Australia. The acerbic American was outworked in that contest and didn’t appear to have the same drive and tenacity as usual, but a year off to recharge the batteries and a chance to halt Hernandez’s extending winning streak should be all Strickland needs to lock back in and remind people why he’s one of the best middleweights on the planet.

Hernandez has just kept steadily climbing the divisional ladder one rung at a time since the start of 2021, pushing his winning streak to eight with a pair of victories in 2025 while reaching No. 4 in the rankings. After out-hustling Brendan Allen in Seattle last February, the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) grad manhandled Roman Dolidze in August, breaking his will before mercilessly choking him out midway through the fourth round.

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What is so fascinating about this fight is that in terms of their approaches, Strickland and Hernandez are similar; both like to come forward, dictate the pace, work at a high clip, and essentially drown their opponents. When two fighters like that square off, a few things can happen: they can meet in the middle and get into a good old-fashioned donnybrook; they can take turns leading until one really seizes command, or one can grab hold of the fight early and impose their will.

What is unlikely to happen is that they don’t mix things up and we get some kind of odd stalemate and staring match; there is too much at stake for that to transpire, plus it’s not in either man’s nature. This is going to be fun, no matter how it shakes out and will have an immediate impact on the landscape in the middleweight ranks as well.

Additional Main Card Matchups

Geoff Neal vs Uroš Medić

Dan Ige clocks in for another matchup against an ascending featherweight, this time venturing to Houston to face 2025 breakout star Melquizael Costa.

For the last several years, “50K” has been the man the UFC called when there was an upstart that needed testing, a veteran that needed a stern challenge, and Diego Lopes needed an opponent in four hours. Each time, Ige has answered the call, and while the results haven’t always been favorable, his effort never wanes, which is why he’s one of the most respected fighters on the roster.

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Costa put together four wins in 2025 to push his winning streak to five and his record to 6-1 in the UFC when competing in the 145-pound weight class. It was a slow and steady burn for the Brazilian through to December, where he blasted Morgan Charriere with a high kick that put the popular Frenchman down and everyone else in the division on notice that “The Dalmatian” was on the rise.

Will Ige prove too much and turn aside another aspiring, unranked opponent, or can Costa keep the ball rolling and force his way into the Top 15 with his biggest win to date?

Serghei Spivac vs Ante Delija

Heavyweights angling to get things moving in the right direction to start the year clash here as Serghei Spivac takes on Ante Delija.

Still just 31 years old, Spivac has been a mainstay in the Top 15 for a few years now and owns quality wins over Augusto Sakai, Derrick Lewis, and Marcin Tybura. But the Moldovan big man has dropped consecutive contests and three of his last four, leaving him kind of hovering in the middle of the rankings at the moment, in need of a big performance in order to set a strong course forward in 2025.

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After bulldozing Tybura in his promotional debut last year in Paris, Delija made a relatively quick turnaround to face Waldo Cortes Acosta on November 1 and, for a chaotic few moments, seemed like he had scored a second consecutive first-round stoppage win. But the bout was restarted after it was determined he’d poked “Salsa Boy” in the eye, and Cortes Acosta capitalized, putting away the Croatian powerhouse soon after.

This feels like one of those pairings where the winner will go on to have some bigger opportunities later in the year, and the vanquished fighter will be left scrambling a little, trying to stay afloat against the emerging set in the division. That kind of potential swing should result in both men turning up in Texas dialed in and ready to deliver on Saturday night.

Jacobe Smith vs Josiah Harrell

Undefeated welterweights with 11-0 records meet in this main card fixture as Jacobe Smith begins his sophomore campaign against Josiah Harrell.

A decorated collegiate wrestler at Oklahoma State University, Smith picked up a pair of finishes in his first two UFC starts to maintain his unbeaten record and establish himself as an emerging threat in the 170-pound ranks. With good hands, great wrestling, and a quality group of people around him, the 30-year-old DWCS alum has all the markings of someone who is capable of making a run towards the rankings in the next 18-24 months.

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Harrell gets a second call-up to the UFC after his first opportunity was postponed when his medicals revealed he suffered from a rare brain condition called Moyamoya disease. Having addressed the issue and pushed his record to 11-0 with four additional wins since that scrapped scrap with Jack Della Maddelana, including one last month, the promising 27-year-old will look to make the most of this second chance on Saturday.

Smith was originally scheduled to face fellow sophomore standout SeokHyeon Ko, who also went 2-0 in the UFC in his rookie campaign, so it will be interesting to see how he navigates the shift in opponent and change in styles Harrell brings this weekend.

Zachary Reese vs Michel Pereira

The main card opens in the middleweight division with all-action fighters Zachary Reese and Michel Pereira sharing the Octagon.

Reese made four appearances in 2025, rebounding from an early-year loss to Azamat Bekoev with a pair of wins on either side of his unfortunate Noche UFC bout with Sedriques Dumas that ended in a no-contest. The 31-year-old has only gone the distance twice in his career and is still looking for his first UFC win in his home state, so expect him to come out looking to attack in this one.

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The October 2024 main event between Saturday’s headliner Hernandez and Pereira feels like a real crossroads moment for the two, as it was the former’s first real breakout performance and he’s kept winning since, while the latter has continued to falter. At his best, Pereira is a hulking, dynamic finisher with a complete arsenal of weapons at his disposal; it’s just been a struggle for him to unholster those weapons as of late.

Can Reese open the main card with a big win in front of family, friends, and fellow Texans, or will “Demolidor” right the ship and begin another push towards the top of the middleweight division?

Preliminary Card Pairings

Chidi Njokuani vs Carlos Leal

After showing out in his short-notice debut, Houston’s Alden Coria gets a home game for his first full-camp fight in the UFC this weekend when he faces off with Luis Gurule.

Coria turned an opportunity against Alessandro Costa at Noche UFC into a third-round stoppage win back in September, putting the 4oz Fight Club man on a five-fight unbeaten streak heading into this one. Gurule hit the UFC with an unblemished record, but after a pair of tough assignments, “Grim” starts Year Two on the roster still in search of his first taste of success.

Nora Cornolle vs Joselyne Edwards

Ranked bantamweights run it back in Houston as Nora Cornolle and Joselyne Edwards face off for a second time.

Cornolle got the better of things in the first meeting and has alternated wins and losses since, while settling into position at No. 12 in the divisional ranks. Edwards dropped a grudge match with Ailin Perez following her initial encounter with the French striker, but has been on fire since, posting three straight stoppage wins to force her way into the Top 15 as well.

Ramiz Brahimaj vs Punahele Soriano

Business gets underway in the flyweight division this weekend as Juliana Miller and Carli Judice meet in what should be an all-action opener in Houston.

Miller halted a two-fight skid in her first bout in nearly two years last May, out-working Ivana Petrovic to move to 2-2 in the UFC and 4-3 overall. Following a split decision loss in her promotional debut, Judice made a splash in 2025, earning a pair of stoppage wins and performance bonuses to enter this year as developing talent with room to grow in the 125-pound weight class.