UFC Sacramento Recap: Gregory Rodrigues Upsets Anthony Hernandez to Crash the Middleweight Rankings

The UFC touched down at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on August 22, 2026 for UFC Sacramento, and delivered a main event that reshaped the middleweight landscape along with a card full of first-round violence.

Here’s a full breakdown of everything that happened on Saturday night.

Gregory Rodrigues Dominates Anthony Hernandez in a Statement Main Event

Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez arrived in Sacramento as one of the hottest names in the middleweight division, having won eight of his previous nine fights and building real momentum toward a title shot. Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues had other plans. Over five competitive rounds, Rodrigues thoroughly outworked Hernandez to claim a clear unanimous decision, with scores of 48-47, 49-46, and 48-47.

This was Rodrigues’s third consecutive win, and by any measure it’s the signature victory of his UFC career — a five-round main event win over a fighter many analysts had rated as a legitimate top-five contender heading into the fight.

What made this result particularly notable is the closeness of the individual scorecards paired with the decisiveness of the outcome. Two of the three judges card this a 48-47 fight, indicating Hernandez had stretches where he was competitive, but Rodrigues consistently found ways to win the crucial exchanges and take rounds that mattered. Rodrigues now sits at 20-6 overall and has to be inserted directly into the middleweight rankings conversation.

For Hernandez, now 15-4, this loss halts what had been one of the most impressive stretches of any middleweight and it will likely cost him a shot at a top-5 ranked opponent in his very next outing. Championship aspirations for “Fluffy” will need to wait, while Rodrigues suddenly finds himself as one of the most dangerous new threats in the middleweight division.

De Ridder Blitzes Dolidze in a Light Heavyweight Statement

The co-main event provided one of the fastest and most decisive finishes of the entire card. Reinier de Ridder will look to climb through the light heavyweight ranks after a successful transition up from middleweight, stopping Roman Dolidze via TKO with punches at 4:01 of Round 1.

De Ridder has quickly built a reputation as one of the most well-rounded fighters since making his UFC debut, combining elite grappling with increasingly dangerous striking. Dolidze, a durable and experienced veteran who has given tough fights to some of the sport’s best over the years. Dolidze tried to grapple with “RDR” rolling for knee bars and leg locks, but de Ridder flowed on top and dominated Dolidze at his own game.

This win further validates the light heavyweight move for De Ridder and positions him as a genuine threat in a division that has seen significant turnover at the top in recent months. Dolidze, meanwhile, will need to regroup after a finish loss that has him on a three-fight skid.

Vitor Petrino and MarQuel Mederos Turn in Impressive Wins

The rest of the main card featured strong, clean performances from two fighters looking to establish themselves further up their respective divisional ladders.

Vitor Petrino delivered arguably the most complete performance of the night, sweeping all three scorecards 30-27 against veteran heavyweight Serghei Spivac. Petrino, still relatively young in his UFC tenure, showed excellent composure and pacing across three rounds against an experienced opponent, controlling range and avoiding Spivac’s dangerous power for the better part of fifteen minutes. This win keeps Petrino’s momentum building nicely as he continues to develop into one of the more polished heavyweight prospects on the roster.

MarQuel Mederos picked up a violent finish of his own, stopping Mason Jones via TKO (elbows and punches) at 2:07 of Round 2 in a lightweight matchup. The finish showcased Mederos’ vicious elbows and strikes in close as he finished Jones against the cage. Jones tried to fight back, but ultimately he was out on his feet, and referee Jason Herzog had to step in before it got any worse.

Elsewhere on the main card, Carli Judice delivered a spectacular finish over Jeisla Chaves, stopping her via TKO (front kick to the body and punches) in just 1:39 of Round 1 in the women’s flyweight division.

Anthony Wint rounded out the main card with a technical submission win over Terrance Chatman via arm-triangle choke at 4:29 of Round 1, continuing his early-career momentum in the heavyweight division.

Prelims Deliver Chaos

If the main card was defined by dominant, sustained performances, the preliminary card was defined by pure, sudden violence.

Shamil Gaziev produced the highlight of the entire event, scoring a one-punch knockout over Kennedy Nzechukwu in just 1:20 of Round 1. It was the kind of finish that ends careers of confidence in a single moment, Nzechukwu never saw it coming, and Gaziev’s power was on full, terrifying display in his heavyweight showcase.

Jamall Emmers picked up the biggest upset win of the night over Lerryan Douglas, needing just 3:38 of the opening round to finish the fight via TKO.

Chris Padilla submitted veteran Nasrat Haqparast via arm-triangle choke deep in the third round at 4:59, showcasing patience and technical grappling against a durable and experienced opponent.

Marcio Barbosa needed just 2:47 to finish Ryan Kuse via TKO punches in a featherweight bout.

While Jackson McVey stopped Wesley Schultz with a body knee and follow-up punches at 4:13 of Round 1.

Stanley Dorsainvil picked up a clean unanimous decision over Gauge Young, sweeping the cards 29-28 across the board, and Shanelle Dyer closed out the prelims with a TKO finish over Elise Reed at 1:42 of Round 3, capping off a card that saw the overwhelming majority of fights end before the final horn.

Final Takeaways

UFC Sacramento delivered exactly the kind of high-finish-rate card that keeps fans hooked on Fight Night events even without a title on the line. Gregory Rodrigues’s dominant win over Anthony Hernandez was the standout result of the night, instantly reshaping the middleweight contender picture and forcing the division to take a serious look at “Robocop” as a legitimate threat. Reinier de Ridder’s continued dominance at light heavyweight, combined with strong performances from Vitor Petrino and MarQuel Mederos, gave the card real depth beyond the marquee matchup.

Add in Shamil Gaziev’s brutal one-punch knockout and a preliminary card that saw finish after finish, and the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento hosted one of the more action-packed Fight Nights of the summer. With Rodrigues now knocking on the door of the middleweight rankings and several undercard fighters putting together statement performances, this card’s ripple effects will be felt across multiple divisions heading into the fall stretch of the UFC calendar.