Anthony Hernandez and Gregory Rodrigues fight very differently, but share a common theme: decisions are not part of the design. Hernandez breaks spirits while Rodrigues breaks faces. Their philosophies collide at UFC Fight Night in Sacramento, California.
Hernandez (15-3, 1 NC) is in a bad mood. His normally relaxed demeanor has been replaced with a serious edge. He’s not feeling particularly social heading into Saturday’s main event. Hernandez breaks opponents with relentless pace and pressure — his appetite to apply that on Fight Night borders on disturbing.
“I want to hurt somebody, man. I want to finish somebody,” Hernandez told CBS Sports HQ. “I want to make somebody hate their f—ing life.”
Hernandez is one fight removed from a non-title loss to reigning middleweight champion Sean Strickland. The fight would’ve launched “Fluffy” into the title scene. Instead, Strickland knocked him out and went on to reclaim the title. He took the loss honorably, going on to train with Strickland and his camp.
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“He helped me adjust some things,” Hernandez reported, praising Strickland’s ability. “The whole Xtreme Couture crew is absolutely amazing. They were nothing but respectful.”
You wouldn’t know that Rodrigues (19-6) is a decorated jiu-jitsu athlete by his mixed martial arts career. He hasn’t achieved a submission win in nearly a decade. It’s not that he can’t; it’s that he doesn’t need to. Rodrigues is blessed with ferocious knockout power. Appropriately nicknamed “Robocop,” Rodrigues marches forward and short-circuits his opponents. On a 6-1 run with surging momentum, it feels like now or never for Rodrigues to break into the middleweight top 10.
“There are two things a coach can’t put in a fighter: a heavy hand and heart. I’m born with both,” Rodrigues told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “I’m not looking for the knockout; it just happens. I’m a well-rounded guy. I’m ready for 25 minutes. I want to be inside the Octagon the whole fight. Whatever happens before [the final bell], that’s a bonus.”
Two other middleweight stalwarts are on the card, but they aren’t competing at 185 pounds. There’s an exodus happening at middleweight. Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker recently made successful light heavyweight debuts. On Saturday, Reinier de Ridder and Roman Dolidze hope for the same. The former middleweights ease into their new division by fighting each other. The winner has a good opportunity to climb the ranks in a weight class rife with turnover.
Kicking off the main card is New York Jets alum, Anthony Wint. The gridiron veteran earned a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last week, knocking out his opponent in 34 seconds. He wasted no time booking his UFC debut. Wint is more than a 10-to-one favorite against fellow debutant Terrance Chatman.
“I played in the NFL where we had 17 or 18 weeks, maybe two bye weeks, not to mention practice,” Wint told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “Me fighting next week, when I didn’t suffer any damage, felt natural. I’m ready to go again and, God willing, put on a show.”
Let’s take a look at the rest of the fight card with the just in odds from DraftKings before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
|
Anthony Hernandez -198 |
Gregory Rodrigues +164 |
Middleweight |
|
Vitor Petrino -148 |
Serghei Spivac +124 |
Heavyweight |
|
Reinier de Ridder -375 |
Roman Dolidze +295 |
Light heavyweight |
| Mason Jones -285 | Marquel Mederos +230 | Lightweight |
| Carli Judice -575 | Jeisla Chaves +425 | Women’s flyweight |
| Anthony Wint -1050 | Terrance Chatman +675 | Heavyweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: Saturday, Aug. 22 | Start time: 8 p.m. ET (Main card), 5 p.m. ET (Prelims)
Location: Golden 1 Center — Sacramento, California
TV Channel: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as low as $8.99 per month)
Prediction
Anthony Hernandez vs. Gregory Rodrigues: Hernandez lost to Strickland for the same reason that Chimaev did: the champion’s defense has proven impenetrable. “Fluffy” feasts on defensive lapses by throwing caution to the wind. He can win that fight most times, but against Strickland, he couldn’t break through, taking more punishment than he could dole out. Such an approach is dangerous against Rodrigues, a fighter with incredible finishing instincts. However, Rodrigues is an imperfect fighter. He’s suffered four knockout losses and lost his only main event. Rodrigues’ stamina isn’t bad, but you need a lot more than that to withstand Hernandez’s offense. I expect a more refined approach to Hernandez’s dogged style after training with Xtreme Couture. It’ll get the job done if he doesn’t get caught on the way there. Pick: Hernandez via TKO, Round 4
