Story perspectives

UFC Sacramento set: Hernandez vs Rodrigues middleweight bout

8/21/2026

Summary

Rodrigues vs Hernandez

UFC will host a middleweight title-contender fight between Anthony Hernandez and Gregory Rodrigues at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center.
Gregory Rodrigues received a $50,000 cash advance before the fight.
Co-main event features heavyweight No. 6 Serghei Spivac versus Vitor Petrino in three rounds.
Reinier de Ridder will fight at 205 lb for his UFC debut.
UFC Sacramento streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the United States.

Summary

Hernandez Trains

Hernandez logged 50 consecutive clean anti-doping tests before his Sacramento bout.
He trained summer at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas with Sean Strickland and elite middleweights.
His wife and grandparents managed home duties while he attended camp.
He said a Strickland rematch would happen only if the payout is sufficient.
Hernandez aims to earn enough to retire and coach his family, staying sober and determined to hurt someone.

History

Historical Context

In 2015, the UFC signed a $10 million agreement with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), launching a formal testing program. USADA recorded over 1,200 athlete tests that year, including 250 urine samples, establishing a baseline for clean competition. Today, Anthony Hernandez’s 50-test clean streak and Gregory Rodrigues’s $50,000 advance echo that anti-doping framework and the sport’s growing financial stakes. The precedent ensures broadcasters like Paramount Plus can market Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center bout, while fighters train at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas under coaches such as Sean Strickland.

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Rodrigues vs Hernandez

UFC will host a middleweight title-contender fight between Anthony Hernandez and Gregory Rodrigues at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center.
Gregory Rodrigues received a $50,000 cash advance before the fight.
Co-main event features heavyweight No. 6 Serghei Spivac versus Vitor Petrino in three rounds.
Reinier de Ridder will fight at 205 lb for his UFC debut.
UFC Sacramento streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the United States.

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