Gregory Rodrigues went into enemy territory and pulled off the upset in a grueling fight with Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez.
Rodrigues defeated Hernandez via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 48-47) in the UFC Sacramento main event Saturday night at Golden 1 Center. Hernandez is from Dunnigan, California, less than 40 miles outside Sacramento.
Rodrigues and Hernandez were ranked No. 11 and No. 6, respectively, in the middleweight division coming in. After the victory, Rodrigues called for a matchup against a former champion.
"Dricus Du Plessis, where are you?" Rodrigues said in his postfight interview. "I want you. Let's go. No. 1 contender to fight for the belt."
Rodrigues pummeled Hernandez on the feet throughout the fight, landing the heavier strikes and doing more damage.
Hernandez stole the momentum in the third round, scoring an early takedown, looking for a rear-naked choke, and then grinding Rodrigues against the fence for much of the frame. But Rodrigues once again took over in the fourth and fifth rounds to seal the deal.
With the victory, Rodrigues is now riding a four-fight winning streak and is 7-1 in his last eight Octagon appearances. The 34-year-old Brazilian hasn't lost since facing Jared Cannonier in February 2025.
Hernandez has now lost two in a row following an eight-fight winning streak that catapulted him into title contention. The 32-year-old suffered a TKO defeat to current middleweight champion Sean Strickland in the UFC Houston main event in February.
