Fight Preview
UFC TONIGHT: Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Sacramento
Setting The Table For Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Rodrigues
One week after returning to Philadelphia for the first time in a number of years, UFC continues its tour of old haunts with a trip to Golden 1 Center in Sacramento for a Fight Night event headlined by a critical middleweight matchup between local NorCal standout Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez and Brazilian powerhouse Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues.
Saturday marks the first UFC event in the California capital in more than seven years and promises to give the passionate fans who are sure to pack the venue from the jump plenty to enjoy this weekend.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap.
Main Event: Anthony Hernandez vs Gregory Rodrigues
Limited Tickets Remaining For UFC Sacramento | Get Yours Here
Location: Golden 1 Center
Where to Watch: Paramount+
Other Main Card Matches:
- Serghei Spivac vs Vitor Petrino
- Reinier de Ridder vs Roman Dolidze
- MarQuel Mederos vs Mason Jones
- Carli Judice vs Jeisla Chaves
- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Shamil Gaziev
Prelim Matches:
- Wes Schultz vs Jackson McVey
- Chris Padilla vs Nasrat Haqparast
- Gauge Young vs Stan Dorsainvil
- Jamall Emmers vs Lerryan Douglas
- Shanelle Dyer vs Elise Reed
- Marcio Barbosa vs Ryan Kuse
- Anthony Wint vs Terrance Chatman
Main Event Matchup: Anthony Hernandez vs Gregory Rodrigues
No matter whether you’re using the Meta rankings or the media version, Saturday’s main event is a matchup between Top 15 talents in the middleweight division as Anthony Hernandez squares off with Gregory Rodrigues.
Stepping into his third consecutive main event assignment and fourth in five fights, Hernandez gets his first UFC home game, touching down at Golden 1 Center looking to restart a winning streak after his eight-fight run of success was halted last time out by current champ Sean Strickland. The 32-year-old had been lights out during that run and simply ran into a focused former champion looking to make a statement in February, and a return to form here should largely erase the impact of that setback.
Anthony Hernandez | Top Finishes
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Anthony Hernandez | Top Finishes
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Rodrigues comes into his second main event appearance having won three straight since getting stopped in the fourth round of his first headlining assignment against Jared Cannonier in February 2025. One of the strongest, most powerful individuals in the 185-pound weight class, the 34-year-old Brazilian looks for the biggest win of his career and a chance to enter the thick of the chase in the middleweight division.
RELATED: Gregory Rodrigues Attitude Of Gratitude | Anthony Hernandez Representing For The 5-3-0
This profiles as a classic stylistic clash between the high-pace, high-volume approach of Hernandez and Rodrigues’ fight-changing power, with the standard “when it ends likely tells you how it went” scenario hanging overhead. This is a big moment for each man, and it’s going to be interesting to see how each responds this weekend.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Serghei Spivac vs Vitor Petrino
Serghei Spivac takes on the role of the veteran measuring stick here as he steps into the Octagon to face ascending Brazilian Vitor Petrino.
Spivac debuted in the UFC shortly before the last event in Sacramento and has been a fixture in the rankings for the last five years, having amassed a 7-4 record since the start of 2021 with five of those victories coming inside the distance. A strong grappler who knows how to make opponents carry his weight, the Moldovan “Polar Bear” is the most experienced fighter Petrino has faced since relocating to heavyweight last year.
Vitor Petrino | Best Finishes
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Vitor Petrino | Best Finishes
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A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’22, Petrino started his UFC journey as a light heavyweight, collecting four straight wins before stoppage losses to veterans Anthony Smith and Dustin Jacoby, and his rigorous weight cuts prompted a move up the divisional ladder. He’s gone 3-0 since the shift, building on his tandem finishes from last year with a unanimous decision win over Steven Asplund in March.
Not only is this the standard “veteran litmus test” for Petrino, but it also comes with the added pressure of having faltered in this spot twice before. Now in his fourth year on the roster, this is a moment where you would like to really see some significant development from the Brazilian if he’s going to become something more than a green-but-promising prospect within the next 18 months.
Reinier de Ridder vs Roman Dolidze
Reinier de Ridder and Roman Dolidze both decided to vacate the middleweight division and move back to the 205-pound ranks. Now they face off here in a fascinating pairing that should tell us a great deal about where each man fits in the division going forward.
MORE: Reinier de Ridder Changing Things Up | Roman Dolidze Fight Week Interview
“RDR” tried to do too much last year by squeezing in a fifth fight in 12 months in Vancouver, resulting in a flat effort and a fourth-round yielding opposite Brendan Allen. Following his loss to Caio Borralho at UFC 326, the Dutch veteran said he was done with middleweight and now moves back up the light heavyweight division, where he has gone 8-1 for his career.
Dolidze began his UFC run with a pair of wins at light heavyweight before embarking on a six-year, 12-fight run at middleweight, which wrapped with consecutive losses to Hernandez and Christian Leroy Duncan. Now the burly Georgian moves back up, aiming to make an instant splash and secure himself some even bigger opportunities in the near future.
With both men entering on two-fight skids, only one will leave Sacramento happy, while the other will head into the 2026 home stretch with their back against the wall.
MarQuel Mederos vs Mason Jones
Contender Series grad MarQuel Mederos gets a chance to show he merits bigger opportunities in the lightweight division as he steps in here against adopted Sacramento fighter Mason Jones.
READ: Mason Jones’ Big Bet is Paying Off | MarQuel Mederos 'Welcome To My Introduction’
Mederos has gone 3-0-1 in four starts since earning a contract on Season 7, but feels stuck trying to build momentum as his bouts have either been spaced far apart or feature changes in opponents. Last time out, he battled short notice replacement Chris Padilla to a draw at UFC 327, extending his unbeaten streak to 10 straight overall.
A frequent visitor at Team Alpha Male, Jones has been sharp in his three starts since returning to the UFC fold, earning a trio of wins and a pair of post-fight bonuses along the way. “The Dragon” has won seven straight dating back to the end of his first stint in the UFC and looks to wrap up his first contract back with a fourth consecutive victory.
Jones has built a reputation as a hard-nosed battler who can drag just about anyone into a knock-down, drag-out fight, so it’ll be interesting to see if the traditionally more technical and judicious striker Mederos gets sucked into a gunfight on Saturday night.
Carli Judice vs Jeisla Chaves
DWCS alums go head-to-head here as Carli Judice steps in against undefeated Brazilian Jeisla Chaves.
RELATED: Carli Judice Stay ‘Crispy’
“Crispy” has been cooking lately, building upon her two-win, two-bonus 2025 with a unanimous decision win over Juliana Miller in a hard-fought battle back in February. The Louisiana native has slick hands and heads of moxie, which usually translates into a forward-pressure style and high output.
It seems like Chaves has a thing for engaging in competitive fights that end in debated decisions, as she got the nod in one to earn her contract last season and followed it up with a similar performance in her debut back in June. The 29-year-old is still a little green but makes up it with a willingness to stick her nose into the thick of things and sling hands.
This should be an entertaining tussle between a pair of promising young talents looking to keep taking good steps forward in the talent-rich 125-pound ranks.
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Shamil Gaziev
Early-season DWCS grad Kennedy Nzechukwu takes on fellow alum Shamil Gaziev in a heavyweight tussle that could carry ranking ramifications.
Nzechukwu started his UFC heavyweight tenure with a pair of first-round stoppage wins over Chris Barnett and Lukasz Brzeski to offer a glimmer of upside before getting heel hooked by Valter Walker and battling Marcus Buchecha to a draw last December. The 34-year-old has undeniable tools and has shown power but struggles at times with simply being in the flow of the action.
A stoppage win over Martin Buday in his promotional debut thrust Gaziev into a main event pairing in his sophomore outing, resulting in an exhausted retirement after four rounds. He then won two straight but has since dropped two-in-a-row as he’s faced more seasoned and dangerous competition, leaving him in need of a big effort to help clarify where his floor rests this weekend.
Get Your Tickets For Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn On September 12
Both men have been ranked in the past, and it only ever takes a couple of quality wins to creep back into the Top 15 in the big boy ranks, so both men should be driven to get back to their winning ways and set themselves up for something greater next time out.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Wes Schultz vs Jackson McVey
American middleweights go head-to-head in this one as Contender Series grad Wes Schultz locks up with MMA Lab representative Jackson McVey.
Wes Schultz Secures Submission Victory In Round Three | UFC Perth
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Wes Schultz Secures Submission Victory In Round Three | UFC Perth
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After landing on the wrong side of things in his February debut, Schultz was dogged in his pursuit of a submission finish last time out, finally clamping onto a fight-ending guillotine in the third to notch his first UFC win. McVey similarly broke into the win column for the first time in his last outing, making relatively quick work of Sedriques Dumas to maintain his 100 percent finishing rate.
Chris Padilla vs Nasrat Haqparast
Skilled lightweights residing in the “Second 15” square off here as Chris Padilla takes on Nasrat Haqparast.
Unbeaten in five UFC starts, Padilla battled MarQuel Mederos to a majority draw last time out and stands as one of the most unheralded talents in the 155-pound weight class at the moment. Haqparast returns to action for the first time since his short-notice encounter with Quillan Salkilld last October in Abu Dhabi turned into a breakout moment for the surging Australian.
Gauge Young vs Stan Dorsainvil
Gauge Young started his UFC tenure as a late replacement; now he’s the one on the other side of the coin as newcomer Stan Dorsainvil tags in this weekend in Sacramento.
After dropping that hustled debut against Evan Elder last April, Young has responded by earning consecutive decision wins over Maheshate and Thiago Moises. Dorsainvil replaces Kody Steele and arrives with a 5-0 professional mark, including four finishes, three in the first round.
Jamall Emmers vs Lerryan Douglas
Jamall Emmers and Lerryan Douglas share the Octagon this weekend in what is a must-see featherweight pairing.
READ: Lerryan Douglas Return of 'The Gunslinger’
Experienced and dangerous, Emmers is a valued member of the 145-pound ranks, serving as a stiff test for ascending hopefuls and tough out for anyone who stands across from him. Douglas debuted in March with a first-round stoppage win over Julian Erosa and looks to add to his developing momentum by picking up a second straight UFC stoppage win.
Shanelle Dyer vs Elise Reed
Strawweights get in on the action in Sacramento as British prospect Shanelle Dyer makes her second appearance of the year, welcoming American Elise Reed back to the Octagon.
Dyer dropped a competitive battle to Carol Foro on the Contender Series last year, but still earned a contract and showed why in her debut, knocking out Ravena Oliveira in March in London. A former CFFC champ, Reed has gone 4-5 in her first nine UFC appearances, alternating results the whole way through and heading into this one looking to earn her first win since the fall of 2024.
Marcio Barbosa vs Ryan Kuse
Fresh off a highlight-reel finish in his debut, Marcio Barbosa makes his sophomore appearance on Saturday against short-notice replacement Ryan Kuse.
Marcio Barbosa Gets Statement KO In UFC Debut | UFC Winnipeg
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Marcio Barbosa Gets Statement KO In UFC Debut | UFC Winnipeg
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Barbosa is on a run of five straight fights with first-round finishes, including an 80-second icing of Dennis Buzukja in Winnipeg back in April. Fighting out of The Goat Shed in Miami, Kuse jumps into this short-notice opportunity sporting a 9-2 record and having won each of his last two MMA appearances, with a couple of Karate Combat bouts scattered around them for good measure.
MORE: Marcio Barbosa Keep An Eye On ‘Ticotô'
Anthony Wint vs Terrance Chatman
Fresh off his punishing first-round finish on the Contender Series last week, Anthony Wint makes his UFC debut in a clash with fellow newcomer Terrance Chatman.
Wint bulldozed Matt Adams to close out Week 1 of Season 10, advancing to 7-0 with six finishes and flashing the kind of raw potential and clear promise that gets you excited, especially about heavyweight prospects. Chatman trains with the 4oz. Fight Club in Houston and comes in off a first-round finish due to leg kicks in July that pushed his record to 5-1 with four stoppage wins.
UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Rodrigues took place live from Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on August 22, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!