Middleweights
Anthony Hernandez (12-2, 1 N/C) vs. Michel Pereira (31-11, 2 N/C)
Odds: Hernandez (-135), Pereira (+114)
Michel Pereira has seemingly found his home at middleweight, and this marks the first big shot for "Demolidor" to prove he's a potential contender at 185 pounds. Pereira was extremely hyped ahead of his UFC debut in 2019, but that was mostly due to entertainment purposes rather than any expectation that he'd contend as a welterweight; an elite athlete, Pereira was willing to fight behind some of the wildest ideas in the sport, backflipping into opponents, rebounding off cages and essentially doing whatever came to mind. That led to Pereira building one of the best highlight reels in the sport, but his inefficient style would often result in him tiring out and losing fights he had no business losing - so it wasn't a shock that his first three UFC fights ran the gamut of results; he tore apart Danny Roberts, lost to natural featherweight Tristan Connelly and then got disqualified for landing an illegal knee on Diego Sanchez. For whatever reason, the Sanchez loss seemingly caused Pereira to re-evaluate things and start fighting seriously, which would normally be a betrayal of what brought him to the dance - but as it turns out, he's actually a good fighter when he decides to apply himself. Pereira's now riding an eight-fight winning streak, which at first saw him leverage his combination of size and speed into staying defensive while picking his opponents apart from range; it could sometimes take the fight out of the fight, but Pereira still had the occasional wild exchange, and importantly showed a knack for landing some hard offense just as his opponents seemed to be building momentum. Five fights into this current winning streak, weight management issues forced Pereira to ply his trade up to middleweight, and that's turned out to be a blessing in disguise; he hasn't faced the best competition at 185 pounds, but his speed is now even more of an advantage, and he's blown through three solid fighters in about a minute apiece. Now comes a main event against Anthony Hernandez in a big opportunity for both men, as Hernandez also looks to prove that his own approach can work against something approximating elite competition. Hernandez had a fairly unnotable start to his UFC career until a shocking breakthrough win over Rodolfo Vieira in 2021; Vieira, one of the most decorated grapplers on the UFC roster, figured to run through an unathletic wrestler in Hernandez, only for Hernandez to survive and exhaust Vieira with non-stop scrambles, eventually earning one of the unlikeliest submission wins in UFC history. Hernandez has kept things up to put together four straight wins since, all through that same gameplan; there might be some early trouble and Hernandez's approach might not be the prettiest, but his willingness to keep marching forward and scrambling with his opponents on the mat has consistently led to him finding their breaking point and scoring a late finish. It's been a fun enough style that Hernandez has retained a fanbase even through some recent stretches of inactivity; "Fluffy" likely would've had his opportunity to move up the rankings by now had injuries not kept getting in the way. If this fight goes over the long haul, it'll be absolutely fascinating to see what Hernandez can accomplish; Pereira's gas tank, which had to be managed at 170 pounds, hasn't been tested with his quick wins at middleweight, and it's unclear exactly how well either man can keep up given the combination of Hernandez's doggedness and Pereira's freakish athleticism. But things might not make it that far; Hernandez starts slow before he builds all that momentum, and it does seem like he's going to immediately charge into danger against one of the hardest hitters in the division. The pick is Pereira via first-round knockout.
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Hernandez vs. Pereira
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The Prelims