UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues Live Updates, Results and Highlights

There's a lot to unpack after Saturday's finish-filled card in Sacramento. Here are three big takeaways from the night.

'Robocop' is Ready for the Top-5

Gregory "Robocop" Rodrigues has been hanging around the fringes of the middleweight top-15 for years, and proved in that time that he's too much for all but the division's best fighters. However, he never quite managed to break into the division's upper echelon, thanks primarily to cardio issues that led him to a momentum-killing loss to Jared Cannonier early last year. Against Hernandez, he proved that, in addition to the skills he's always had, he now has the gas tank to fight for five hard rounds, right till the end. That will be a very valuable asset as he begins to mix it up with the division's very best fighters—an opportunity he has proven he's ready for.

'RDR' Could Make Waves at Light Heavyweight

It's too early to call Reinier de Ridder a serious light heavyweight contender, but after he mauled an outmatched Roman Dolidze on Saturday's main card, his future in the division looks bright. He seemed to wear the extra weight well—no surprise given that he used to fight at 205 pounds in ONE Championship—and his elite grappling skill could make him a real problem for many of the fighters in the division, which is currently dominated by strikers like Carlos Ulberg, Jiri Prochazka, Paulo Costa, and Khalil Rountree Jr.

Heavyweight Is Coming Back to Life

For years, the UFC heavyweight division suffered from a severe lack of fresh talent, as the same 10 or 15 fighters dominated the rankings, with little challenge from any newcomers. That is finally changing. On Saturday, we saw two rising heavyweights make big statements, as Vitor Petrino defeated Serghei Spivac by decision in the co-main event, and Anthony Wint made a successful UFC debut with an effortless TKO win over Terrance Chatman in the main card opener. It remains to be seen how far either guy will get, but they are welcome additions to the long stagnant division, as are other new arrivals like Josh Hokit, Brando Pericic, Valter Walker, Gable Steveson, Rizvan Kuniev, Mario Pinot, and Jovan Leka.

Gregory "Robocop" Rodrigues picked up the biggest win of his career in Saturday's main event, thrashing Anthony Hernandez to a unanimous decision win after five fun rounds.

The Brazilian got off to a very good start, dropping Hernandez on multiple occasions through the first two rounds. While Hernandez began to mount a comeback in round three, when he often begins to take control of fights with his cardio, it was short lived. Robocop regained control in rounds four and five, dishing out more hellacious punishment on the feet to cement his victory.

The win pushes Rodrigues to 20-6 overall. More importantly, he's now on a five-fight streak, and likely to launch into the middleweight top-10 when the rankings are updated.

If he gets his way, he'll use that new position to set up a fight with former champ Dricus Du Plessis, who he called out in his post-fight interview.

As for Hernandez, this tough loss on home soil is going to sting. That said, he showed a ton of heart and toughness in the fight, so hopefully he's not too hard on himself. He's now 15-4 overall, and riding back-to-back losses.

Gregory Rodrigues got off to a great start in the first two rounds of the main event, battering Anthony Hernandez on the feet, and dropping him multiple times with leg kicks.

In round 3, however, Hernandez turned the tables and became to overwhelm Rodrigues with his takedown attempts and clinch work.

This is anyone's fight heading into the championship rounds.

After 12 fights and a whole lot of excitement, we've reached the main event.

You all know the story on this one.

After having an eight-fight win-streak derailed by reigning champ Sean Strickland, Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez (15-3) will be looking to get back on track with a big win in his home state. 

Standing in his way will be gargantuan Brazilian Gregory "Robocop" Rodrigues (19-6), who is unbelievably dangerous on both the feet and on the mat, as he proved with recent beatdowns of Jack Hermansson and Brunno Ferreira. 

Both men have clear advantages. Hernandez has some of the best cardio, pace, and grappling in the division. Rodrigues has all the physical tools in the world, and proven killer instinct. 

Enough chatter. Let's see how it goes. 

It wasn't exactly pretty, but Vitor Petrino came out on top in his heavyweight clash with Serghei Spivac.

The Brazilian controlled round one with his striking, and surprisingly, turned to his grappling in rounds two and three with great results. It was a bit underwhelming to watch, but it was a great performance against a veteran heavyweight contender, and certainly good justification for his unanimous decision win.

In victory, Petrino is now 15-2 overall. He has won all four of his fights as a heavyweight, and figures to land in the division's top-10 next week. Not bad for a guy who was basically an afterthought by the time he left the light heavyweight division.

Spivac, on the other hand, will be kicking himself after a pretty dreadful performance. He's now 18-7, and back in the loss column after a big win over Ante Delija.

We've now reached our co-main event: a heavyweight clash between Serghei Spivac (18-6) and Vitor Petrino (14-2). 

Spivac, from Moldova, has been a staple of the heavyweight rankings for years, and has beaten a slew of fellow contenders in that timeframe. That includes his latest win, a decision defeat of former PFL tournament champ Ante Delija. 

Petrino, on the other hand, is a former light heavyweight. After a middling run in that division, the Brazilian decided to hike up to heavyweight, where he has now won three-straight fights. This is definitely the toughest matchup of his heavyweight run to date, but if he wins it, he will assert himself as a legit contender in the division. 

Here we go.

Reinier de Ridder made quite a statement in his light heavyweight debut, effortlessly breaking Roman Dolidze down to a first-round TKO win.

It was actually Dolidze's baffling decision to pull guard against the grappling specialist that led to the finish. Once that happened, De Ridder assumed total control, floating from position to position and hammering his foe with punches throughout.

After what must have been close to 100 ground strikes, the referee decided Dolidze couldn't take anymore, and called the fight off.

In victory, de Ridder is now 22-4 and 5-2 in the UFC. While beating a middling former middleweight isn't going to turn him into a serious title contender at light heavyweight, don't be surprised to see him crash into the top-15 next week.

"Anybody at 205 can get it," he said in his post-fight interview.

In defeat, Dolidze falls to 15-6 overall. He has now lost three straight fights in two divisions, and after his subpar performance tonight, will most likely be fighting for his job next time out—if the UFC even opts to keep him around.

Reinier de Ridder (21-4), a former two-division champ in ONE Championship, got off to a hot start in the UFC, rattling off wins in his first four appearances, including victories against Bo Nickal and Robert Whittaker. However, he then lost his next two fights to Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho, which prompted a move from middleweight to light heavyweight.

He will make his light heavyweight debut opposite another former middleweight contender in Roman Dolidze (15-5), who has suffered losses to Anthony Hernandez and Christian Leroy Duncan in his last two appearances.

This is a hugely important fight for both men, as they look to reinvent themselves in a new division. Let's see who wants it more.

Heading into Saturday's card in Sacramento, Mason Jones had never been finished in 20 pro fights.

MarQuel Mederos finally changed that.

After a spirited first round throughout which both men had some big moments, Mederos began to hit his stride in round two, and eventually badly hurt Jones with a punch. Perhaps knowing how durable the Welshman is, he did not relent for a moment, firing more heavy artillery and hitting his target with much of it. It eventually became more than Jones could take, and the referee leapt to his rescue as his legs gave out.

With his victory, Mederos improves to a strong 12-1-1 overall 4-0-1 in the UFC. Becoming the first man to finish Jones is a serious feather in his cap.

Jones, meanwhile, experiences the first setback of his second run with the promotion, and now sits at 18-3. That's obviously not how he wanted it to go, but he can take some comfort in the fact that the fight was absolutely awesome while it lasted.

Up next, we head back to the ever entertaining lightweight division, where MarQuel Mederos (11-1-1) will take on Mason Jones (18-2). 

Mederos has gone 3-0-1 since joining the UFC, most recently battling undercard winner Chris Padilla to a draw. 

Jones, one of the division's most entertaining young fighters, is 3-0 in his second run with the UFC, and most recently defeated highly regarded Frenchman Axel Sola by decision in a Fight of the Night-winning scrap. 

This should be a good fight. Then again, that kind of goes without saying when Jones is involved.

Carli Judice entered her main card flyweight scrap with Jeisla Chaves as a huge betting favorite. She definitely lived up to that status, blowing her opponent away inside a round.

It was a kick to the midsection that first hurt Chaves, and a salvo of follow-up punches that forced the referee to intervene.

Beautiful stuff.

In victory, Judice is now 7-2 overall, with wins in four consecutive fights. She's still got a way to go before she finds herself in title contention, but she is definitely on track, and she probably stands to benefit from the current lack of contenders in her division.

If she gets her way, it will be a ranked opponent next. At this point, it would be very strange if the UFC matchmakers denied that request.

Our second and final women's bout of the night is up next. 

This one will pit Carli Judice (6-2) against Jeisla Chaves (8-0) at flyweight. 

Despite what their records may imply, Judice is a big favorite to win this one after picking up victories in her last three UFC fights. 

Chaves will be on the hunt for the upset after a split-decision win over Yuneisy Duben in her UFC debut in June. 

Let's get to it.

Anthony Wint definitely turned some heads in Sacramento.

In the first bout of the main card, he promptly took his opponent Terrance Chatman down, climbed into top position, and choked him unconscious with an arm-triangle choke.

It's the second time we've seen someone get put to sleep with this choke tonight.

In victory, Wint is now 8-0 overall, and 1-0 in the UFC. It's still a little early to be calling him a contender, but he's definitely a fighter to watch, and has all of the athletic gifts to make some waves, even if he's a little undersized.

This is an exciting time for the heavyweight division, which is suddenly rife with young, dynamic talent in a way it hasn't been in years.

Tonight's main card will start in the heavyweight division, as Anthony Wint (7-0) takes on Terrance Chatman (5-1). 

Wint earned a UFC contract with a quick TKO win over Matt Adams on Dana White's Contender Series less than two weeks ago. He looked very dangerous in that fight, but there were some valid criticisms of the matchup, which seemed like a pretty glaring mismatch in hindsight. 

Unfortunately, that seems like the case again here, but the debuting Chatman will surely be looking to defy the odds, and as we've already seen tonight, heavyweight fights can be pretty unpredictable. 

With a string of vicious knockout wins behind him, Lerryan Douglas was heavily favored to win his undercard scrap with Jamall Emmers.

Emmers didn't get the memo.

In the first round of their featherweight contest, Emmers flipped the script by flooring his opponent with sizzling punch. A few follow-up ground strikes later, and it was over.

The upset TKO victory puts Emmers on a three-fight win streak, and brings his record to 23-8.

Douglas, meanwhile, gets his first taste of defeat in seven fights. He's now 14-6 overall, and will need to deliver an impressive performance next time out if he wants to reclaim the hype he had heading into this card.

We've reached our final bout of the undercard: a featherweight clash between Jamall Emmers (22-8) and Lerryan Douglas (14-5). 

Emmers, a sizeable underdog, is riding back-to-back wins over Gabriel Miranda and Hyder Amil. 

Douglas, a Contender Series grad, has won his last six fights, including a title win in LFA, and a vicious knockout of Julian Erosa in his March Octagon debut. 

Unfortunately, the UFC has over 30 minutes to kill before the main card starts, so expect a bit of a delay before this three-round fight gets underway. Now's the time to take a bathroom break and refill your drink!

After back-to-back KO losses, Bahrain's Shamil Gaziev needed a victory badly in Sacramento.

It's fair to say he got it.

Just over a minute into his heavyweight showdown with Kennedy Nzechukwu, he landed a blistering right hand that ended things immediately. His opponent hit the deck, and that was all she wrote.

With the win, Gaziev is now 15-3, and once again closing in on the heavyweight rankings. In defeat, Nzechukwu falls to 14-7-1. This one is definitely going to sting for him.

It's time for our first of three heavyweight battles of the night: a clash between Shamil Gaziev (14-3) and Kennedy Nzechukwu (14-6-1). 

Gaziev got off to a pretty good start in the UFC, but has now suffered back-to-back KO losses to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Brando Pericic. He needs a win badly tonight.

Nzechukwu, a former light heavyweight, has not competed since he fought BJJ legend Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida to a forgettable draw late last year. He could also use a victory to get his career back on track.

Chris Padilla scored an epic win on the Sacramento undercard, putting Nasrat Haqparast to sleep with a standing arm-triangle choke with one second left in their lightweight fight. By that point, it looked like he would probably win a decision, but he made sure not to leave any room for disappointment.

What a performance!

In victory, Padilla gets back in the win column after a draw against MarQuel Mederos last time out. He's now 18-6-1 overall.

Haqparast, meanwhile, has now suffered two brutal stoppage losses in a row, having been knocked out by Quillan Salkilld in his next most recent fight. He's now 18-7 overall.

It's time for another lightweight fight. This one will pit Nasrat Haqparast (18-6) against Chris Padilla (17-6-1). 

Haqparast has a lot of experience against high-level lightweights, but in his last fight, had a five-fight streak derailed by a brutal head-kick KO courtesy of Quillan Salkilld. 

Padilla has yet to lose in five UFC fights, but in his last outing, came fairly close with a majority draw against MarQuel Mederos. 

Marcio Barbosa is a scary man.

The Brazilian improved to a very impressive 19-2 in Sacramento, knocking out an outmatched Ryan Kuse inside a round. The victory brings him to 2-0 in the UFC, with two KOs. If he keeps performing like this, a fight with a ranked opponent is going to come sooner than later. Whomever he fights in his future Octagon appearances will need to be very wary of his punching power.

Kuse, who took this fight on short notice, is now 9-3, and will have to wait for his first UFC victory.

Our next fight will go down at featherweight. This one will pit Marcio Barbosa (18-2) against Ryan Kuse (9-2).

Barbosa got off to a hot start in the UFC, winning his debut with a quick knockout of Dennis Buzukja. Kuse will be making his UFC debut following fights in organization like Combate Global, LFA, and Karate Combat. 

We'll be underway in shortly.

Stan Dorsainvil had a tough first round against Gauge Young, as he struggled with his opponent's speed an accuracy. In round two, however, the debuting fighter came alive, and began to take control of the fight with his striking and a late takedown. That trend continued into round three, when he built up even more momentum.

It was definitely a close fight—and a very fun one—but after three rounds, all three judges scored it for Dorsainvil. He's now 6-0 overall, and is definitely a prospect to watch at lightweight.

Young, meanwhile, is now 11-4.

Next up, we move to the lightweight division, where Gauge Young (11-3) will take on Stan Dorsainvil (5-0). 

Young is riding back-to-back decision wins over Thiago Moises and Maheshate. Dorsainvil, on the other hand, will be making his UFC debut following a TKO win in LFA back in May. 

Jackson McVey was totally dominant in his undercard middleweight scrap with Wes Schulz, battering his opponent to a first-round TKO win.

It was a body shot that sealed the deal.

The victory brings McVey to 8-2 overall, and pushes him onto a two-fight win streak—both finishes. He's still a long way from title contention, but he has certainly proved he belongs in the UFC.

In defeat Schulz is now 9-4 overall, and a tough 1-2 since joining the UFC roster. He may get another opportunity in the Octagon, but he'll definitely need to win it.

Like the main event, the second bout of the night will go down in the 185-pound middleweight division. 

In one corner, we'll have Jackson McVey (7-2), who will be looking for a second win in a row after choking out Sedriques Dumas in May. In the other corner we'll have Wes Schulz (9-3). He'll be looking to build on the momentum of a submission win over Ben Johnston. 

Here we go. 

Elise Reed was simply no match for Shanelle Dyer. The 25-year-old Brit flaunted all of her Muay Thai experience through rounds one and two, facing essentially no adversity, before finishing things off with a swarm of punches against the cage in round three.

The victory brings Dyer to 8-1 overall, and 2-0 in the UFC, with both wins coming by way of stoppage. She is a serious prospect at strawweight, and given her youth, has tons of time to evolve into a contender.

Reed is now 8-6 overall, and winless in her last two UFC bouts. She has not won a fight since beating Jessica Penne in late 2024.

UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues is officially underway.

The first bout of the night will be contested at strawweight, with England's Shanelle Dyer (7-1) taking on Elise Reed (8-5). 

Dyer is definitely an exciting prospect, with five stoppage wins on her record, including a knockout of Ravena Oliveira in her UFC debut this past March.

The future looks a little murkier for Reed who, following a knockout loss to Denise Gomes well over a year ago, will enter the Octagon as a gargantuan underdog. 

Let's see if Dyer keeps rising, or if there's a huge upset in the works. 

The UFC's return to Sacramento kicks off in about five minutes.

Here's a quick recap of what's on deck, courtesy of the promotion's X account.