UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues Recap: Full Results and Analysis
Gregory Rodrigues handed Anthony Hernandez a second consecutive loss on Saturday night in Sacramento, outworking the hometown fighter across twenty-five minutes to earn a unanimous decision in the middleweight main event at Golden 1 Center. The judges scored it 48-47, 49-46, and 48-47 for Rodrigues, who immediately called out former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis from the cage.
Sacramento delivered across the board. Six finishes in seven preliminary bouts set the tone before a main card that added four more stoppages. Reinier de Ridder announced himself to the UFC's light heavyweight division, Vitor Petrino continued his unbeaten run at heavyweight, and MarQuel Mederos kept a remarkable winning streak rolling. By the time Rodrigues had the microphone, the crowd had already seen a night worth remembering.
Full Results
| Fight | Winner | Method | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Hernandez vs. Gregory Rodrigues | Gregory Rodrigues | Decision (Unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Serghei Spivac vs. Vitor Petrino | Vitor Petrino | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Reinier de Ridder vs. Roman Dolidze | Reinier de Ridder | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 4:01 |
| Mason Jones vs. MarQuel Mederos | MarQuel Mederos | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 2:07 |
| Carli Judice vs. Jeisla Santos Chaves | Carli Judice | TKO (Kick) | 1 | 1:39 |
| Anthony Wint vs. Terrance Chatman | Anthony Wint | Submission (Arm Triangle) | 1 | 4:29 |
| Jamall Emmers vs. Lerryan Douglas | Jamall Emmers | TKO (Punch) | 1 | 3:38 |
| Shamil Gaziev vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu | Shamil Gaziev | TKO (Punch) | 1 | 1:20 |
| Nasrat Haqparast vs. Chris Padilla | Chris Padilla | Submission (Arm Triangle) | 3 | 4:59 |
| Márcio Barbosa vs. Ryan Kuse | Márcio Barbosa | TKO (Punch) | 1 | 2:47 |
| Gauge Young vs. Stanley Dorsainvil | Stanley Dorsainvil | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Jackson McVey vs. Wesley Schultz | Jackson McVey | TKO (Knee) | 1 | 4:13 |
| Shanelle Dyer vs. Elise Reed | Shanelle Dyer | TKO (Punches) | 3 | 1:42 |
Main Event: Rodrigues Grinds Past Hernandez
Anthony Hernandez had the crowd, the momentum story, and the home advantage walking into Golden 1 Center on Saturday. He had also put together one of the longest win streaks in the UFC's middleweight division before losses to Sean Strickland and now Rodrigues ended that chapter.
Hernandez pressed forward throughout all five rounds, looking to impose his pace and break Rodrigues down physically. Rodrigues would not break. He moved well, defended takedowns when Hernandez changed levels, and consistently landed the harder, cleaner shots. The difference on the scorecards was not enormous — two of three judges had it close — but Rodrigues earned the edge that mattered.
After the final horn and the decision, Rodrigues made his next move public without hesitation. "Dricus du Plessis, where are you, man? I want you! Let's go. That's a No. 1 contender [match]," he said from inside the cage. The UFC awarded him a $100,000 bonus for the performance.
For Hernandez, back-to-back losses at this stage represent a real setback. Two consecutive defeats at middleweight means the path back to the top is longer than it was twelve months ago.
Co-Main Event: Petrino Is Serious at Heavyweight
Vitor Petrino came in with skeptics still circling, pointing to his competition level as a reason to hold off on top-ten conversations. He spent fifteen minutes dismantling that argument against Serghei Spivac, who had been in the UFC's heavyweight title discussion not long ago. Three rounds of pressure striking from Petrino earned a unanimous 30-27 sweep.
Petrino is now 4-0 inside the UFC at heavyweight. Spivac has lost four of his last five. The UFC heavyweight division will need to start treating Petrino seriously, and a meaningful step up in competition is the logical next move.
Reinier de Ridder Makes a Statement
Reinier de Ridder held simultaneous world titles at middleweight and light heavyweight in ONE Championship. Whether that level of excellence would carry over to the UFC's light heavyweight roster was an open question walking into Sacramento. He answered it quickly.
De Ridder dropped Roman Dolidze and finished him with punches at 4:01 of round one. The stoppage was efficient and clean — de Ridder never looked flustered, never gave Dolidze a route back into the fight, and put him away inside the first four minutes. Dolidze is a tough, experienced fighter. De Ridder did not give him a chance to be one. The UFC light heavyweight division has a new contender worth taking seriously.
Prelim Highlights: Six Finishes in Seven Fights
The Sacramento preliminary card was the kind of undercard that makes regional UFC events worth watching early.
Shamil Gaziev needed just 1:20 to stop Kennedy Nzechukwu at heavyweight — one punch, one knockdown, one stoppage. Chris Padilla went to the wire against Nasrat Haqparast before locking in an arm triangle choke at 4:59 of round three, a buzzer-beater submission in the final second.
MarQuel Mederos stopped Mason Jones in round two with punches to extend his winning streak to eleven consecutive fights and improve to 4-0-1 inside the UFC. He called for a ranked opponent after the win. Jackson McVey put away Wesley Schultz with a TKO knee at 4:13 of round one. Anthony Wint debuted in the UFC with a first-round arm triangle submission over Terrance Chatman. Dakota Bush earned a split decision over Morquez Forest to continue building his lightweight record.
Looking Ahead
The middleweight division is the most interesting conversation coming out of Sacramento. Rodrigues' callout of Dricus du Plessis was direct and supported by four consecutive wins. De Ridder's debut performance will generate immediate attention from light heavyweight contenders. Petrino's name belongs in the top-ten heavyweight rankings conversation. Sacramento did its job.