Anthony Hernandez looks to do what he does best this weekend
Anthony Hernandez is a dark horse of the UFC’s middleweight division. He’s taking on Michel Pereira this weekend in the main event of UFC Vegas 99. Ranked thirteenth in the division, Hernandez is a terrifying fight for anyone ranked ahead of him. Michel Pereira is accepting this challenge and will be no easy task.
Will “Fluffy” get to the top and challenge Dricus Du Plessis? How did he get here and become one of 185’s most avoided fighters?
Fights missed by Anthony Hernandez
Going through Anthony Hernandez’ Tapology page, an observer will see a huge amount of fights that have fallen through for various reasons. Albert Duraev withdrew in 2022. Dricus Du Plessis was to happen that year and Du Plessis was rebooked to fight Kelvin Gastelum on the same card. Furthermore, Chris Curtis pulled out in 2023 and Ikram Aliskerov in 2024.
To be completely fair, Hernandez has pulled out of his fair share of fights since joining the UFC: five in total. But when he does get a fight, Hernandez is spectacular.
Now on a five fight winning streak, Hernandez has come a long way from his two losses to Markus Perez and Kevin Holland. After winning against Rodolfo Vieira in 2021, it was foot on the gas. Vieira, Josh Fremd, Marc-Andre Barriault and Eden Shahbazyan were all lined up and fell to Hernandez.
But these were nothing compared to his recent win…
The big claim to the division
In February of 2024, Anthony Hernandez had his career best win. He faced the ever tough Roman Kopylov at UFC 298. After a difficult, but manageable, first round, Hernandez’ pace and pressure quickly broke down Roman Kopylov. Hernandez got the fight to the ground, got to the back, and choked out the Russian contender and claimed his spot at 185’s top 15.
Kopylov was on a four fight winning streak and only had two losses before that fight. This put Hernandez on the current collision course we see today with Michel Pereira.
Of course, Pereira is a cardio liability. As explosive as he is, “Demolidor” tends to fade late in fights, exactly when Hernandez shines. Being his first five round fight in the UFC, fans have to love Anthony Hernandez’ chances going into UFC Vegas 99 this weekend.
Should Hernandez be able to avoid the early explosions, get the fight to the ground early, and tire Pereira out, he could get an emphatic win in which he can really shine. Michel Pereira is well known among MMA fans due to his exciting style. Putting him in a main event with Hernandez will give Hernandez a new level of platform to do what he does best.
