The UFC’s Fight Night spree continues Saturday night with UFC Vegas 109 at the UFC APEX. The 12-fight card is headlined by a key middleweight fight between Roman Dolidze and Anthony Hernandez.
Hernandez missed weight by a half-pound at Friday’s weigh-in, but the fight will proceed as scheduled. “Fluffy” seeks his ninth UFC win in 11 appearances, having won his last seven fights dating to Feb. 2021.
Hernandez (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC said a victory against Dolidze (15-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) will be enough to keep him in the UFC middleweight title picture with the impending UFC 319 main event taking place a week from Saturday. However, he isn’t rushing any opportunities and is taking what the UFC gives him, he said.
Feb 22, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Anthony Hernandez (blue gloves) celebrates defeating Brendan Allen (red gloves) in the middleweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
“The true people that know martial arts, they know that I know my s***, so whatever, it will all work out soon,” Hernandez told MMAJunkie.
Hernandez said Dolidze matches up well with him stylistically and expects a difficult yet worthy opponent come Saturday night. Dolidze has won his last three, marking back-to-back appearances at the APEX after beating former middleweight title challenger, Marvin Vettori (19-8 MMA, 9-7-1, UFC), by decision in March.
“I watched his tape, and I’ve watched him fight a few times, too,” Hernandez said. “Like I said, he’s a big f***** brute, he moves forward, and he throws everything to knock you out. I think it’s going to make for a great f***** fight.”
Oct 5, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Roman Dolidze (red gloves) reacts after defeating Kevin Holland (not pictured) during UFC 307 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Dolidze expects a similar fight himself. The one aspect holding Hernandez back, he says, is his willingness to wait for a title fight, as opposed to Dolidze’s straightforward outlook.
“Of course. ‘Fluffy’ is on a seven-fight win streak, and when we win, we will take this part of him,” Dolidze said. “I think after this fight, I will be one fight, one step to a title fight. And I deserve it.”
Check out the current running bout order (subject to change) and DraftKings Sportsbook betting odds as of Friday evening. Similarly to last week, the event can be seen in its entirety on ESPN and ESPN+.
READ MORE: UFC Fight Night full picks & predictions for Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez
Main card (Start time 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+, ESPN)Preliminary card (Start time 4 p.m. ET, ESPN+, ESPN)
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