Gregory Rodrigues Upsets Anthony Hernandez in Grueling Five-Round Main Event at UFC Sacramento

The partisan crowd inside Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center came expecting a coronation. Instead, they got a masterclass in pressure and punishment from a Brazilian powerhouse. Gregory "Robocop" Rodrigues walked into enemy territory on Saturday night and completely scrambled the UFC’s middleweight title picture, taking a grueling unanimous decision over Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez in the main event of UFC Fight Night 285.[1][2]

The scorecards read 48-47, 49-46, and 48-47, reflecting a fight that was competitive in stretches but ultimately dictated by Rodrigues’s heavier artillery. The moment his hand was raised, the No. 11-ranked contender grabbed the microphone and immediately targeted the top of the food chain, calling out former champion Dricus Du Plessis for a No. 1 contender bout.[1][2]

Rodrigues built his early lead on a foundation of brutal leg kicks. He chopped away at Hernandez’s base through the first ten minutes, compromising the Californian's movement before stepping inside to land thudding combinations that had the hometown fighter badly wobbled in the second round.[1][3]

But Hernandez—fighting just 40 miles from his hometown of Dunnigan—refused to fold. He flipped the script in the third round, securing an early takedown, hunting for a rear-naked choke, and grinding Rodrigues against the fence to drag the fight into deep waters and force the Brazilian to prove his cardio.[2][3]

Just as the momentum seemed to be slipping, Rodrigues found a second wind. He stuffed Hernandez’s desperate level-change attempts in the championship rounds, keeping the fight in open space where his striking power could salt away the final five minutes and secure the judges' favor.[1][2]

The victory extends Rodrigues's current winning streak to four, pushing his record to a stellar 7-1 over his last eight Octagon appearances. His only recent blemish remains a February 2025 loss to Jared Cannonier, and this five-round statement guarantees a massive leap up the 185-pound ladder.[2][3]

For Hernandez, the defeat is a bitter setback. After an eight-fight winning streak that vaulted him into the division's elite, he has now dropped two straight, including a TKO loss to current middleweight champion Sean Strickland earlier this year.[2]

While the main event reshaped the middleweight ranks, the featured undercard bout offered a glimpse into the future of the light heavyweight division. Reinier de Ridder and Roman Dolidze both moved up to 205 pounds after admitting that the brutal cut to 185 was severely draining their gas tanks.[5][6]

Freed from the extreme weight cut, de Ridder looked utterly revitalized. The Dutch submission specialist dragged Dolidze to the canvas early, settled into half guard, and rained down a vicious sequence of punches and elbows to force a referee stoppage at 4:01 of the very first round.[4][5]

The rest of the main card delivered a steady diet of early violence. Vitor Petrino ground out a unanimous decision over Serghei Spivac in the co-main event, while MarQuel Mederos sliced through Mason Jones with elbows and punches for a second-round TKO.[1][4]

The preliminary card was equally ruthless, setting the tone for a brutal night in California. Carli Judice folded Jeisla Chaves with a perfectly placed front kick to the body just 99 seconds into their flyweight bout, while Shamil Gaziev flattened Kennedy Nzechukwu with a single punch in 80 seconds.[1][4]

Closing out the prelims, Chris Padilla secured a slick arm-triangle choke over Nasrat Haqparast with just one second remaining in their three-round war, capping off a night that rewarded aggressive finishing instincts from top to bottom.[4]