Hernandez vs Rodrigues: Fluffy's First UFC Home Game in Sacramento

The UFC's nostalgia tour rolls into Golden 1 Center on Saturday for its first Sacramento card in more than seven years, and it hands NorCal's own Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez a rare treat: a genuine home game. The #6 middleweight (15-3, nine of those wins by submission) headlines against Brazil's Gregory "Robocop" Rodrigues in a Top 15 clash that pits volume against violence.

Hernandez arrives with baggage he'd rather leave at the door. His eight-fight win streak — the run that dragged him into title contention — got clipped in February when current champ Sean Strickland stopped him via third-round punches. It's the 32-year-old's third consecutive main event and his fourth in five fights, so the promotion clearly still trusts him near the top of the card. A convincing win in his backyard would largely wipe that loss off the ledger.

Rodrigues has quietly built momentum of his own. The 34-year-old is on a three-fight tear since getting stopped in the fourth round by Jared Cannonier in his first headliner back in February 2025. He's one of the heaviest hitters at 185 pounds, and he's chasing the biggest win of his career here.

Styles Make Fights

This one writes itself: Hernandez's high-pace, high-pressure grappling against Rodrigues' fight-ending power. Fluffy's finish profile leans heavily on the mat — nine submissions to just three knockouts — while Robocop only needs one clean shot. The old rule applies. How this ends will tell you exactly how it went.

The co-main features Serghei Spivac as the veteran gatekeeper for rising heavyweight Vitor Petrino. Spivac, a fixture in the rankings for five years, has gone 7-4 since 2021 with five stoppage wins. Petrino — a 2022 Contender Series grad — moved up from light heavyweight after stoppage losses to Anthony Smith (now 38-22) and Dustin Jacoby, and he's 3-0 since the switch. This is his third crack at the veteran litmus test, and he's fumbled the assignment twice before. Time to show growth.

Further down, Reinier de Ridder and Roman Dolidze both wave goodbye to middleweight and reunite at 205. De Ridder — 8-1 for his career at light heavyweight — bailed on 185 after losing a decision to Caio Borralho at UFC 326, following an earlier flat fourth-round loss to Brendan Allen. Dolidze is dropping down too after back-to-back defeats, including one to Hernandez himself. Both men ride two-fight skids into Sacramento, which means one of them leaves with real problems heading into 2026's home stretch.