*Anthony Hernandez locks in a tight rear naked choke on Brendan Allen. Credit: MMA Mania.*

The UFC heads to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, for a stacked Fight Night card. There are plenty of fantastic matchups, hungry prospects, and wily veterans all looking to earn a highlight-reel win this Saturday. In the co-main event, two dangerous Heavyweights collide when marauding wrestler Serghei Spivac takes on the heavy-handed Vitor Petrino. In the main event, two top-ten Middleweights look to enter the title conversation as relentless grinder Anthony Hernandez squares off against vicious power-puncher Gregory Rodrigues. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

Anthony Wint vs. Terrence Chatman

*The referee steps in as Anthony Wint rains down ground-and-pound onto Matt Adams. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Heavyweight Bout

Anthony Wint: 7-0-0, 5 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Terrence Chatman: 5-1-0, 4 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Wint is undefeated and making his UFC debut. He’s a powerful knockout artist with a solid wrestling background. He’s patient, picking his openings and using his explosiveness to close distance quickly and start unloading vicious power punches. Wint tends to headhunt and favors power over volume, not throwing many shots but unleashing every one with knockout intent. Training at Kill Cliff FC, he has good entries and timing on his takedowns, typically shooting blast double legs and driving his opponent across the cage or into the fence. Once in top position, he immediately looks to posture up and rain down massive ground-and-pound shots. Wint has decent cardio and carries his power throughout a fight, but he has produced four finishes in 45 seconds or less and is especially dangerous early on.

*Terrance Chatman celebrates his victory over Juan Torres. Credit: Fury FC.*

Chatman has won four of his last five fights and is making his UFC debut. He’s a technical striker with one-shot knockout power. He has solid distance management and will consistently damage his opponent with kicks to the legs and body before stepping into the pocket to throw bombs. He offers very little in terms of output but makes up for it with power, regularly firing single punches and throwing them as hard as possible. Training at 4oz. Fight Club, he has solid footwork and good timing, often catching his opponents with huge hooks as they enter or leave the pocket. He won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges but will land heavy ground-and-pound shots if he finds himself in top position. Chatman rarely looks to brawl or get wild and is at his best in a slower, more technical striking match.

Carli Judice vs. Jeisla Chaves

*Carli Judice lands a thudding knee to the body of Nicolle Caliari. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Women’s Flyweight Bout

Carli Judice: 6-2-0, 5 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Jeisla Chaves: 8-0-0, 4 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Judice has won three of her last five bouts and holds UFC victories over Nicole Caliari (9-4-0), Yuneisy Duben (6-2-0), and Julianna Miller (6-4-0). She’s a sharp volume striker who’s always pressuring her opponent and doing damage. She’s in perpetual motion, pushing a high pace from the opening bell, throwing everything in combination and regularly mixing kicks into her attacks. Judice fights behind her jab and remains technical and precise throughout, maintaining excellent distance management and constantly darting in and out of the pocket to land quick, clean punches. Training at Headkicks MMA, she varies her targets well and regularly lands vicious body shots, particularly with her knees. She won’t usually pursue takedowns, but she has outstanding takedown defense and a great sprawl. Judice has shown outstanding output in her brief UFC tenure, averaging about 94 significant strikes per fight so far.

*Jeisla Chaves charges wildly at Yuneisy Duben. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Chaves is undefeated and has a UFC win over Yuneisy Duben (6-2-0). She’s a power-punching scrapper with great BJJ skills. She’s always pursuing a knockout and rarely throws from range, instead looking to get inside and let her hands go. Chaves has strong clinch striking, particularly with her knees and elbows, and regularly lands heavy shots as her opponent breaks away. Training with the Gomes Fight Team, she’s very durable and willing to exchange in the pocket, often eating shots as she unloads combinations of long straights and looping hooks. She holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, constantly hunts for a submission on the mat, and has an excellent backtake. Chaves carries her power throughout the fight and throws with knockout intent until the final bell.

MarQuel Mederos vs. Mason Jones

*Marquel Mederos blasts Chris Padilla with a vicious elbow. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Lightweight Bout

MarQuel Mederos: 11-1-1, 6 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Mason Jones: 18-2-0, 8 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Mederos has won four of his last five outings, with one draw, and has UFC victories over Austin Hubbard (17-10-0), Landon Quiñones (7-3-1), and Mark Choinski (8-1-0). He’s a precise, patient striker with devastating kicks and accurate hands. He’s always moving and feinting, staying elusive through constant stance switches and head movement. Mederos won’t telegraph his attacks, instead waiting for openings to burst into the pocket and fire quick, clean combinations. He’s dangerous on the inside and at distance, constantly battering his opponents with slicing elbows and thudding leg kicks. Training at FactoryX Muay Thai, he usually won’t bring the fight to the mat, but he has a purple belt in BJJ and outstanding takedown defense. Mederos has great cardio and can maintain a heavy pace for fifteen minutes, remaining dangerous throughout.

*Mason Jones cracks Axel Sola with a stiff jab. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Jones is on a seven-fight win streak, with UFC victories coming over Axel Sola (12-1-1), Bolaji Oki (10-4-0), and Jeremy Stephens (29-23-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper who’s willing to engage the fight anywhere. He holds black belts in Judo and BJJ but is comfortable on his feet, primarily using his stand-up to secure his recent victories. Jones holds the center of the cage well and constantly presses forward while unloading crisp combinations. He regularly throws kicks from range and at the end of punch combinations, occasionally mixing in flashy spinning kicks. Training at Pedro Bessa BJJ, he’s in his second tenure with the promotion and is averaging over four takedowns landed per fifteen minutes in the UFC. Jones has finished four of his seven consecutive victories by knockout and heats up as the fight continues.

Reinier de Ridder vs. Roman Dolidze

*Reinier de Ridder exchanges heavy blows with Caio Borralho. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Light Heavyweight Bout

Reinier de Ridder: 21-4-0, 5 KO/TKO, 13 Sub.

Roman Dolidze: 15-5-0, 8 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

De Ridder has won three of his last five fights and holds UFC victories over #11-ranked Light Heavyweight Robert Whittaker (27-9-0), Kevin Holland (29-15-0), and Bo Nickal (9-1-0). He is an outstanding, dangerous grappler with an arsenal of submissions. He has an awkward striking style, staying upright, fighting behind his jab, and throwing kicks at range before closing the distance. De Ridder is powerful in the clinch and constantly looks for body locks and trip takedowns, often from the opening bell. He has strong top control and will continually attack and improve in top position, fluidly advancing from one position to another. He holds black belts in Judo and BJJ and uses ground-and-pound to wear down his opponent and create submission openings, typically pursuing chokes. De Ridder maintains a consistent pace throughout, but has secured nine of his thirteen submissions in the first round and is most dangerous early on.

*Roman Dolidze unloads punches onto a grounded Anthony Smith. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Dolidze has won three of his last five bouts and holds UFC victories over Marvin Vettori (19-10-1), Kyle Daukaus (17-5-0), and Kevin Holland (29-15-0). He’s a solid grappler who’s always willing to brawl. He throws everything with power and tends to headhunt, constantly dipping his head and firing looping hooks and overhands. Dolidze is excellent in the clinch and very hard to shake off, with devastating striking at close range, particularly with his knees. He’s averaging over one takedown per 15 minutes and has solid top control and heavy ground-and-pound. Training at Xtreme Couture, he favors power over volume and often gets wild, charging forward and firing power shots. Dolidze has gone five rounds multiple times in the UFC and carries his power throughout the fight, remaining dangerous at all times.

#9 Serghei Spivac vs. #11 Vitor Petrino

*Serghei Spivac lands a vicious right hand on Ante Deljia. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Heavyweight Bout

Serghei Spivac: 18-6-0, 7 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Vitor Petrino: 14-2-0, 8 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Spivac has won two of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Marcin Tybura (27-12-0), Derrick Lewis (29-14-0), and Ante Delija (26-8-0). He’s a powerful wrestler with brutal ground-and-pound and excellent top control. He rarely wastes time before taking it to the mat, having landed at least three takedowns in nearly all his UFC wins. Although he’s most comfortable on the ground, he has heavy hands and often unloads big power shots before shooting in. Training with the Polar Bear Team, he has a diverse submission game and typically lands heavy ground-and-pound before pursuing a submission. He’s always looking to do damage on the ground but won’t force anything, always more than willing to hold half guard and work from there. Spivac rarely leaves fights up to the judges, with 11 first-round finishes in his career and 10 of his 15 bouts in the promotion not going the distance.

*Vitor Petrino locks in a rear naked choke on Austen Lane. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Petrino has won three of his last five fights and has UFC wins over Modestas Bukauskas (20-7-0), Marcin Prachnio (17-9-0), and Steven Asplund (8-2-0). He’s an explosive fighter with devastating power and solid grappling. He’s constantly coming forward, headhunting and throwing every punch with enough power to produce a one-shot KO. Training at CM System, Petrino is at his most dangerous early on, regularly unloading overhands and hooks, favoring power over technique. He averages over two takedowns per fifteen minutes but is comfortable on his feet, usually resorting to grappling when he’s getting the worst of the striking exchanges. He has heavy top control and brutal ground-and-pound, averaging about one submission attempt per fifteen minutes. Petrino has surprisingly decent cardio and can push a consistent pace throughout the fight.

#7 Anthony Hernandez vs. #10 Gregory Rodrigues

*Anthony Hernandez unloads ground-and-pound shots onto Edmen Shahbazyan. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Middleweight Bout

Anthony Hernandez: 15-3-0, 3 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.

Gregory Rodrigues: 19-6-0, 12 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Hernandez has won four of his last five bouts and holds UFC victories over #5-ranked Middleweight Brendan Allen (27-7-0), Roman Dolidze (15-5-0), and Roman Kopylov (15-5-0). He’s a relentless scrapper who’s always working for a finish and wearing down his opponent. He pushes a heavy pace from the opening bell, immediately coming forward and pressing the action. Hernandez does a great job mixing kicks into his combinations and often extends his punch combinations, firing five or six shots before returning to range. He is highly durable, always willing to eat a shot to land one, and often walks through offense to close the distance and do damage of his own. Training with the MMAGold Fight Team, he has outstanding takedowns, smothering top control, and dangerous chokes, especially his guillotine. Hernandez heats up as the fight continues, increasing his pace and output and never allowing his opponent to rest.

*Gregory Rodrigues blasts Brunno Ferreira with a powerful right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Rodrigues has won four of his last five outings and has UFC victories over #11-ranked Middleweight Christian Leroy Duncan (15-2-0), Jack Hermansson (24-10-0), and Brunno Ferreira (15-4-0). He is a world-class grappler with serious knockout power. He’s always coming forward, constantly looking to blitz into the pocket to unload heavy combinations. Training at Kill Cliff FC, Rodrigues has one-shot knockout power and throws everything with bad intentions, regularly unloading massive hooks and overhands, especially with his right hand. He’s comfortable on his feet and in a brawl, but he also has outstanding grappling skills and several accolades in BJJ and wrestling. He has smothering top pressure and is smart on top, working methodically and looking for openings to damage or secure submissions. Rodrigues has earned post-fight bonuses in three of his last four fights and will never back down from a scrap.

Best Bets

Carli Judice Moneyline: This is an exciting matchup between two entertaining strikers. I believe Judice’s technical skill and cardio will be the difference in this fight. Chaves has shown solid power in her hands, but she won’t offer much volume and tends to fade as the fight goes on. Judice, on the other hand, has averaged about 94 significant strikes landed per UFC appearance and consistently maintains a high pace throughout her fights. Chaves has also shown a tendency to rely on her grappling as her cardio fades, and Judice has fantastic takedown defense, which I believe will force Chaves to stay on her feet, even as she slows down. I expect this fight to get off to a quick start, with both fighters letting their hands go, but I believe Judice will land cleaner shots and throw longer, more damaging combinations. As the fight continues and Chaves fades, I expect Judice to take full control, lighting her up with clean, sharp punches en route to another impressive victory.

Reinier de Ridder by Submission: An intriguing matchup of two talented scrappers, I’ve been looking forward to this one. Both fighters are dangerous on the mat, but I believe de Ridder’s outstanding submission skills give him an advantage. Neither is a particularly technical striker, and I expect most of this fight to play out on the mat. Dolidze has BJJ skills but is much more of a wrestler, whereas de Ridder is very well-rounded on the mat, with solid wrestling and even better BJJ to back it up. Even if Dolidze initiates the grappling exchanges, I’m confident de Ridder will secure a dominant position and control the fight on the ground. The longer de Ridder can control Dolidze and wear him down, the more damage he will do and the more submission openings he can create. Once those openings are there, I’m confident de Ridder will secure a submission and put himself back into the win column.

Anthony Hernandez Moneyline: This is an outstanding matchup between two well-rounded Middleweights. Their styles are essentially opposites: Rodrigues typically relies on his power to overwhelm opponents, while Hernandez is a grinder who constantly pushes the pace and wears his opponent down. Although Rodrigues has an advantage in punching power and pure BJJ, I believe Hernandez's cardio and relentless pace will earn him the victory. Rodrigues has shown a tendency to slow as the fight goes on, and although he’s an outstanding grappler, he rarely brings the fight to the mat and has yet to earn a submission win in the UFC. I expect Hernandez to expose this by staying in his face the entire time, forcing grueling clinch exchanges along the fence, and repeatedly chaining together takedown attempts, forcing Rodrigues to work and defend nonstop. The longer the fight goes on, the more it benefits Hernandez, and as Rodrigues slows, I expect him to start damaging him on the feet as well, using volume to overcome Rodrigues' heavy power shots. I believe this will be a very entertaining fight with plenty of fun, wild exchanges on the mat and on the feet, but I’m confident that when the dust clears, Hernandez will emerge the victor.

UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues Preview