8/20/26
The UFC heads to Sacramento for a card full of ranked fighters, fan favorites, elite matchups, and a main event that is sure to be nothing but fireworks. The headlining fight features the all-gas, no-brakes, #6-ranked fighter in the middleweight division, Anthony Hernandez, taking on one of the most powerful punchers in the sport, Gregory Rodrigues. Also on the card are fighters like Reinier De Ridder, who is making his light heavyweight debut, and some young talent ready to prove their skills in the octagon. Here is a preview for UFC Sacramento:
Anthony Wint vs Terrance Chatman: Heavyweight
The card opens with a heavyweight clash between two young fighters making their UFC debuts. Anthony Wint comes into the bout 7-0 with five of those wins being by knockout. He got a KO win on Dana White’s Contender Series and now is ready to make his debut in the company with no losses to his name. Terrance Chatman is making his debut as well with a record of 5-1 in his young career and his only loss being by split decision. Four of his five wins as well have been by knockout. This will be a great fight to start the main card with and many fans will be betting on a knockout one way or the other. Wint has his zero on the line and could face the first loss of his career. Two power punchers square off for the first fight of the main card in what will surely be a brawl.
Carli Judice vs Jeisla Chaves: Women’s Flyweight
Another undefeated fighter puts their win streak on the line as Jeisla Chaves comes into the bout with a 7-0 record. With three knockouts to her name, Chaves is looking for a quick night at the office against an opponent who started her career similarly. Carli Judice comes into the fight 6-2 with five of her six wins being by knockout. Judice seemingly has a little more power in her hands, and neither woman is a big threat in the grappling game. This will likely be a striking match that will go back and forth. Both women match well against one another, and whoever wins might just have to outland the other, barring a knockout. This is only the second women’s fight on the card and should be a competitive and entertaining bout.
Marquel Mederos vs Mason Jones: Lightweight
This card has many young, talented fighters who are finding their way in the UFC. A lot of the fighters on this card are not even over the age of 30 years old. This includes Marquel Mederos, who is 11-1-1 in his career and 3-0-1 in the UFC. He is on a 10-fight undefeated streak, and while his last fight was a draw, he is looking to get back into the win column. On the other side of the octagon will be Mason Jones, who has a little more experience than Mederos. He comes into the fight 18-2 in his career and 4-2 in the UFC. He has bounced around from the UFC and Cage Warriors and is currently on a seven-fight win streak. Both fighters have near 50% of their wins by knockout, and few submission wins between the two of them. This will be another fight that will remain standing, in all likelihood, and will come down to who can land that fatal blow.
Reinier De Ridder vs Roman Dolidze: Light Heavyweight
Reinier De Ridder makes his UFC light heavyweight debut against a dangerous Roman Dolidze. Both fighters are coming into this fight on a two-fight losing streak and are desperate to get back into the win column. De Ridder enters the fight with a record of 21-4 and 4-2 in the UFC. He is a former two-division champion in ONEFC before migrating to the UFC and stringing along four straight wins before his last two losses. Roman Dolidze is 15-5 in his career and 9-5 in the UFC. He has swung between middleweight and light heavyweight just like De Ridder in his career. He has reached as high as the #9-ranked middleweight in the world and is a tough fight for anyone.
This will be a mental battle more than anything else because neither man wants another consecutive loss on their record. Both men are strong grapplers, with De Ridder having a little more of an edge, though. He also has an unorthodox and lengthy striking style that mixes well with his grappling that makes him tough for opponents to figure out. Dolidze has many knockouts to his name, though, and has enough skill to put away De Ridder. This could be one of the more competitive fights of the night, and fans will just have to wait and see.
Serghei Spivac vs Vitor Petrino: Heavyweight
The co-main event features two heavyweights that have steadily made names for themselves over their past couple of fights. Serghei Spivac is the #6-ranked heavyweight in the world with a record of 18-6 and 9-6 in the UFC. He is a submission artist in a division that has nothing but knockout artists. Spivac has power in his hands as well, which makes him ultra-dangerous. Vetor Petrino comes into the fight 14-2 and 7-2 in the UFC. He has powerful hands, with eight of his fourteen wins being by knockout. He is a decent grappler, and if he can avoid the takedowns, he will have much more success. He is dealing with Spivac, though, who is one of the most well-rounded heavyweights on the roster. This fight could either be one-sided, with the wrestling taking over for Spivac, or a quick fight for either man, with that one punch putting the lights out.
Anthony Hernandez vs Gregory Rodrigues: Middleweight
Anthony Hernandez was seemingly on a path to the title before his loss to now-champion Sean Strickland earlier this year. He puts pressure on his middleweight opponents that is unlike almost anything the division has seen as of late. He is a good striker, great grappler, and most of all, he fights violently. He is looking to hurt his opponents and usually does. A remarkable gas tank for someone his size, who can drag anyone into deep waters. He is 15-3 in his career and 9-3 in the UFC with nine submissions total. Gregory Rodrigues, however, is a brutal knockout artist who has put his opponents to sleep in brutal fashion time and time again.
Rodrigues is 19-6 in his career and 10-3 in the UFC. With 11 knockouts throughout his time in the sport, he has proven to be one of the most lethal first-round fighters in the company. The problem is his gas tank; however, in all of his losses, he started extremely strong, but if his opponents can survive even two rounds, Rodrigues becomes a lot less dangerous. This is unfortunate for “Robo Cop” because he is fighting the best gas tank in the division in Hernandez. If Rodrigues can’t get it done within two, the likelihood of him winning drops nearly in half. Hernandez just needs to weather the storm and avoid the fatal strike. If he can do that, he could coast to a victory with his stamina and grappling skills. All will be answered come Saturday, August 21st, in Sacramento for UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Rodrigues.
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