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Fighters on the Rise | UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Pereira
Highlighting Three Bantamweights With A Chance To Shine On Saturday In Las Vegas
For the second consecutive Saturday, the action inside the Octagon emanates from the UFC APEX, as competitors make the walk looking to put forth an October effort that sets them up for bigger and better in the closing months of the year or early part of 2025.
The headlining matchup between Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira is a bout between two of the most exciting, emerging talents in the middleweight division, as the duo has combined to win 13 consecutive contests, with nine of those victories coming inside the distance. Hernandez has vaulted into the Top 15 on the strength of a five-fight winning streak that dates back to the start of 2021 while Pereira has been perfect in three starts since relocating to the 185-pound ranks, winning in quicker fashion each time out.
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While the surging middleweight standouts atop the marquee will rightfully command the lion’s share of the attention this week, Saturday also has the potential to be a breakout day for a trio of bantamweight talents angling to take another step forward in the wickedly competitive 135-pound ranks.
Let’s take a closer look at those competitors.
Kyler Phillips
Phillips is a shining example of how one fight can shift the perception of a fighter and the expectations fans and media hold for that athlete going forward.
At UFC 259, the MMA Lab product posted a unanimous decision win over Song Yadong, hustling out to an early lead before holding off the charging Chinese prospect down the stretch. It catapulted Phillips into the spotlight in the bantamweight division for a minute, but when he lost his next outing to Raulian Paiva by majority decision, most went searching for a means of exchanging their ticket for a seat on the bandwagon for a full or even partial refund.
Since then, the 29-year-old martial artist has posted three straight wins against increasingly dangerous competition, following up his UFC 271 submission win over Marcelo Rojo with unanimous decision victories over Raoni Barcelos and Pedro Munhoz to set up Saturday’s co-main event clash with Top 10 mainstay Rob Font.
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Phillips is one of those competitors that has slowly and steadily been adding to his game and getting more effective inside the Octagon every time out, but because he’s been someone that has been on the radar of prospect miners and those dialed into the sport on the regional level for some time, it feels like he’s underachieved to this point, which is crazy. He’s 12-2 overall and 5-1 in the UFC, showing clear and obvious growth in terms of his approach and conditioning, and can force his way into the Top 10 with a win on Saturday.
He’s crossing Font at an interesting time in the New England Cartel member’s career, as he enters having dropped two straight and four of his last five, though each of those setbacks came against a highly regarded and highly ranked opponent. This is the high profile pairing that Phillips has needed in order to assert himself as a legitimate growing threat in the 135-pound weight class, and if he’s able to get through Font this weekend, he’ll be in line for even greater opportunities going forward.
Brady Hiestand
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Brady Hiestand Stops Batgerel Danaa In The Third Round | UFC Fight Night Pavlovich vs Blaydes
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Through his first three post-TUF appearances inside the Octagon, Hiestand has shown incredible resiliency, drive, and heart in posting a trio of victories over Fernie Garcia, Danaa Batgerel, and Garrett Armfield.
As simplistic as this may sound, the biggest reason that Hiestand is being spotlighted here — and is someone to keep close tabs on in the division — is because he’s winning based on intangibles, not an all-out edge in skill, technique, or athleticism. It’s one thing to walk into the Octagon, be the clearly superior talent, and run through the competition, but there is something entirely different about being forced to navigate tough tests, bad spots, and still find a way that elevates Hiestand’s stock.
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Because here’s the thing: the Spokane, Washington product is still just 25 years old and he’s already showing championship-tier traits that can’t be taught.
In each of his first three fights, there have been moments where “Bam Bam” could have looked for or taken the exit that was presented to him, opting to learn from the mistakes he made, deal with the setback, and start rebuilding next time out. Instead, he’s consistently pushed through and rallied, not only dealing with those challenging moments, but finding ways to win each time out.
As he continues to get older, gain experience, and strengthen his abilities, there is the possibility of his levels rising exponentially because he’s already been through difficult moments inside the Octagon and knows he has the fortitude to push through them.
Saturday’s matchup with Jake Hadley is another great test for the Sikjitsu representative, as the Brit looked sharp in a short-notice assignment up here at bantamweight last time out and will be entering filled with even more confidence and swagger than usual, which is saying something. He’s solid everywhere and has the skills to push Hiestand, which, in turn, gives the TUF 29 alum a chance to potentially show that he’s a level above Hadley and the rest of the other ascending young names in the division.
Hiestand always profiled as someone to keep tabs on coming off his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter, but through his first three outings, he’s shown that his upside is even greater than anticipated and he could become the next fighter from the Spokane fight team to climb the ranks and emerge as a contender.
Jean Matsumoto
The third member of this triumvirate of bantamweight talents is the least experienced of the bunch, at least when it comes to UFC appearances.
Matsumoto punched his ticket to the UFC with a unanimous decision win over Kasey Tanner last fall on Dana White’s Contender Series, running his record to 14-0 in the process. In April, he made his promotional debut against TUF alum Dan Argueta, continuing to find little opportunities to land amidst a pressure attack and high pace before diving on a guillotine choke in the waning seconds of the second round to get the finish.
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The 25-year-old Brazilian was judicious when it came to his shot selection, having thrown just 35 significant strikes in his two rounds against Argueta, but he landed at a 54 percent clip and was far more active with his hands in his win over Tanner, throwing 275 significant strikes over the course of three rounds.
It’s always difficult to get a full read on an emerging talent when they’ve faced limited competition on the way up, but reaching 15-0 is an undeniable achievement, regardless of the strength of schedule, and this weekend’s pairing with Brad Katona should provide a much clearer picture of where Matsumoto stands in the hierarchy of ascending fighters in the 135-pound weight class.
The 32-year-old Canadian is on his second tour of duty with the UFC after winning The Ultimate Fighter for a second time in Season 31. His UFC 292 clash with Cody Gibson was wildly entertaining and showed the development of Katona’s hands, and his bounce-back win last time out against Jesse Butler was a reminder of his ability to slow things down and neutralize the opposition on the canvas.
This fight could be similar to Matsumoto’s debut pairing with Argueta, which also means it should provide a chance to see what the Brazilian learned from that outing and how he’s progressed since. Unbeaten talents always deserve attention, and if he maintains his unbeaten run through the weekend, there will rightfully be even more eyeballs on Matsumoto going forward.
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