All-action Anthony Hernandez and hard-hitting Gregory Rodrigues headline UFC Sacramento at the Golden 1 Center on Saturday night (Sunday morning SA time), writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
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Hernandez will look to keep his place in the middleweight top 10, as will Serghei Spivac in the heavyweight top 10 when he faces Vitor Petrino in the co-main event. Staying at heavyweight, Nigeria’s Kennedy Nzechukwu will square off against Shamil Gaziev.
Also on the main card, Reinier de Ridder and Roman Dolidze duke it out at light heavyweight, MarQuel Mederos meets Mason Jones at lightweight, and Carli Judice collides with the undefeated Jeisla Chaves at flyweight.
MAIN CARD:
Sunday, August 23, 2 AM SAST
Anthony Hernandez (1.60) vs Gregory Rodrigues (2.36) (Middleweight)
One off night. That’s all it takes for years of hard work to be undone.
High-flying Hernandez (15-3) was on an excellent eight-fight win streak dating back to 2021 going into his main-event showdown against Sean Strickland in February.
Slay Strickland, and he would, by all indications, earn a maiden title shot. He was favoured to do just that, given his hot streak and Strickland’s sound defeat by South African titleholder Dricus du Plessis in their rematch.
However, Hernandez never got going and Strickland hijacked his moment and momentum, pulling off a shock third-round TKO victory. The loss became that much more of a bitter pill to swallow for Hernandez as he had to watch Strickland cement himself as the UFC’s ultimate underdog by dethroning new champion Khamzat Chimaev in May.
Falling two places to No. 6 in the 185-pound rankings, the 32-year-old is hell-bent on starting another run up the ladder. This weekend’s marquee matchup is a risky one for “Fluffy”, though, as he has little to gain and his place in the top 10 to lose against his dangerous No. 11-ranked opponent.
In the UFC, losers can’t be choosers, so he had little option. Either accept the fight or wait around for a higher-profile foe to become available. Eager to get back on the horse, Hernandez plans on bouncing back in Sactown.
A seasoned campaigner, Rodrigues (19-6) has a good record in the UFC. He’s won 10 of his 13 bouts inside the Octagon, but he’s yet to break through and become a contender like Hernandez.
He had a chance to go to the next level when he earned a crack at Jared Cannonier at the start of last year, but was stopped by the former title challenger in the fourth round.
The Brazilian has rattled off three straight wins since then over lesser opponents in Jack Hermansson, Roman Kopylov and countryman Brunno Ferreira, to earn another opportunity to break into the top 10.
A solid grappler with hands of steel that have earned him a dozen knockouts, Rodrigues is a dangerous opponent for anyone he shares the Octagon with. However, the 34-year-old is not on Hernandez’s level.
Hernandez is a relentless grappler who doesn’t give an opponent time to breathe and boasts eight wins by submission. His chain wrestling is exhausting, and his striking is underrated.
He’s set to melt “Robocop” with his pace and pressure.
Prediction: Hernandez by submission.
Best Bet: Hernandez by submission at 4.60.
Alternative Bet: Hernandez at 1.63.
Serghei Spivac (2.22) vs Vitor Petrino (1.67) (Heavyweight)
One of the top heavyweights in the world, Spivac (18-6) broke out of a bad spell last time out and is eager to build momentum in the co-main event.
“The Polar Bear” beat Ante Delija by decision in February to claim his first victory since August 2024 and is clearly feeling confident as he’s granted a golden opportunity to a young killer looking for his fourth win in as many walks as a heavyweight.
Petrino (14-2), who amassed a 4-2 record at 205 pounds, looks rejuvenated. Back-to-back finishes against Austen Lane and Thomas Petersen certainly help one’s attitude, as did his gritty decision win over Steven Asplund in March.
The Brazilian is a much better athlete than Spivac, but the man-mountain from Moldova has beaten plenty of-up-and-comers with his grappling and top control. In a 50/50 fight, that makes Spivac an underdog worth backing.
Prediction: Spivac by decision.
Best Bet: Spivac at 2.22.
Alternative Bet: Spivac by decision at 4.70.
Reinier de Ridder (1.25) vs Roman Dolidze (4.05) (Light Heavyweight)
Former elite middleweights have made the move up to light heavyweight and will face off in a fascinating clash in the featured bout.
Neither is a stranger to the 205-pound ranks, and after hitting a wall at 185, they seek to make an immediate statement at light heavyweight.
A former two-division champion in ONE Championship, De Ridder (21- 4) took some time to make it to the UFC. As a result, he pushed too hard, too fast. “RDR” rattled off four wins, including a split decision victory over ex-champion and one of the all-time greats at 185 pounds, Robert Whittaker.
However, the decision to sign up for a fifth fight in less than a year proved a massive mistake. The extreme activity and weight cutting caught up with him as he crashed to defeat against Brendan Allen, and a second straight loss to Caio Borralho in March was the final straw.
A grappling wizard with 13 submissions to his name, the Dutchman is back at light heavyweight, where he’s gone 8-1 over the course of his career.
Dolidze (15-5) went 7-5 at middleweight, with back-to-back losses to Hernandez and Christian Leroy Duncan prompting him to move up. The Georgian actually started his UFC career with two wins at 205 pounds, so he’s looking to recapture that magic.
De Ridder’s grappling is going to be a problem for a lot of guys at light heavyweight, including Dolidze, and should see him dictate terms to get the desired result.
Prediction: De Ridder by decision.
Best Bet: De Ridder by decision at 2.20.
Alternative Bet: De Ridder by submission at 3.40.
MarQuel Mederos (3.10) vs Mason Jones (1.37) (Lightweight)
Surging lightweights with different striking philosophies square off in this one. It’s been ages since either man lost, so something will have to give.
Mederos (11-1-1) is unbeaten in his last 10 fights, four of which took place inside the Octagon. However, the American was cooled off somewhat in his last outing, which saw him fight short-notice replacement Chris Padilla to a draw.
Meanwhile, Jones (18-2) is on a seven-fight win streak dating back to the end of his first run in the UFC. “The Dragon” is breathing fire at the moment and will push the action as the more aggressive fighter.
Mederos is a tactician on the feet, but after his stalemate last time out, he might well feel the need to do more, which will play into his opponent’s hands.
Jones loves a fire-fight and will have a four-and-a-half-inch reach advantage, so look to the Welshman to get the win.
Prediction: Jones by decision.
Best Bet: Jones by decision at 2.22.
Carli Judice (1.19) vs Jeisla Chaves (4.85) (Flyweight)
As the flyweight division awaits Valentina Shevchenko’s next title defence, most likely against the red-hot Natalia Silva, the division is primed for some shuffling.
Former champion Alexa Grasso will meet Manon Fiorot at Noche UFC in September, and Erin Blanchfield has a date with Jasmine Jasudavicius in October.
Outside of the rankings, the fighter who seems on her way to making enough noise to get a shout at the top 15 is Judice (6-2). The 27-year-old is coming off three wins in a row, including two bonus-earning knockouts in 2025.
“Crispy” outworked Juliana Miller to a decision win in February, and the Louisiana native is now set to face the undefeated Santos in what shapes up as a sneaky-fun, prospect-vs-prospect bout.
Santos eked out a split-decision win over Yuneisy Duben in June to extend her perfect record to 7-0. However, the performance showed that “A Braba” still has a way to go if she wants to make it at the highest level.
Judice might only have one more fight in her pro career than Santos, but she’s far more polished and is primed to bounce the Brazilian from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Prediction: Judice by decision.
Best Bet: Judice by decision at 2.13.
Kennedy Nzechukwu (2.13) vs Shamil Gaziev (1.72) (Heavyweight)
Nigeria’s Nzechukwu (14-6-1) returns to the Octagon hungry for the taste of victory.
A tall, lanky and lethal striker, “Chosen” had mixed success at light heavyweight. He most notably knocked out current champion Carlos Ulberg back in 2021 but took his talents to heavyweight after successive losses.
He started on a perfect note with a pair of first-round knockout wins over Chris Barnett and Lukasz Brzeski before falling victim to submission specialist Valter Walker and battling Marcus Buchecha to a draw last December.
After an impressive knockout win over Martin Buday in his promotional debut, Gaziev (14-3) was fast-tracked into the main event scene against Jair Rozenstruik in March 2024, and he’s still trying to get the stench of that loss off him, as he gassed out and quit after the fourth round.
Representing Bahrain, the big man is 3-3 in the UFC and could be overly cautious considering he’s coming off back-to-back first-round knockout losses. Given that, I like Nzechukwu as an underdog, especially as he’ll have a four-and-a-half-inch reach advantage.
Prediction: Nzechukwu by knockout.
Best Bet: Nzechukwu by KO/TKO/DQ at 3.35.
Alternative Bet: Nzechukwu at 2.13.
Quintin van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 20 years of experience.
