Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues took a hard-earned unanimous decision over local favorite Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez in the main event of UFC Fight Night at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center on Saturday, capping a 25-minute middleweight war that both fighters walked away from with a $100,000 Fight of the Night bonus. Judges scored it 48-47, 49-46, and 48-47 for Rodrigues.
Rodrigues built the win around Hernandez’s lead leg, landing calf kick after calf kick until Hernandez was visibly slower moving into the later rounds, then backing that up with heavy hands that put Hernandez down multiple times over the course of the fight. Hernandez, fighting in front of a hometown crowd of nearly 17,000, answered by taking the fight to the mat when he could, stuffing some of Rodrigues’ takedown defense down the stretch, but never found the finish he needed.
What Happened in the Co-Main and Rest of the Card?
Vitor Petrino won a unanimous decision over Serghei Spivac in the heavyweight co-main event, though neither fighter picked up a post-fight bonus. The rest of the card was defined by finishes: 10 of the 13 bouts ended before the final bell, including Reinier de Ridder’s stoppage of Roman Dolidze. MarQuel Mederos and Carli Judice each collected their own $100,000 bonuses for a wild second-round TKO and a first-round TKO, respectively.
What’s Next for Rodrigues?
Rodrigues used his post-fight interview to call out former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis for a No. 1 contender’s bout, a big ask off a single win but not an unreasonable one given how he looked against a ranked opponent. The full card is available to stream on Paramount+.
