Updated Aug. 22, 2026, 11:24 p.m. ET

The supposition for the UFC Fight Night 285 main event was that the longer it went, the more it favored home headliner Anthony Hernandez.

But Gregory Rodrigues (20-6 MMA, 11-3 UFC) went past the fourth round for the first time in his career and took a dominant unanimous decision from Hernandez (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at Golden1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. Rodrigues took a 49-46 and a pair of 48-47 scores from the judges in the middleweight bout.

Rodrigues fended off more than 20 of Hernandez’s takedown attempts and wound up with a massive lead in the striking department, including with leg kicks that knocked Hernandez from his feet on four separate occasions. Hernandez, from nearby El Dorado Hills, was more than a 2-1 favorite in front of his home fans, who saw 10 finishes, including seven in the first round, but left disappointed in the headliner.

Rodrigues, who was No. 10 in the UFC’s official rankings, called for a fight against former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, who is No. 2. Hernandez was ranked seventh in the UFC’s rankings. Du Plessis is coming off a win over ex-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman to get back on track after he lost the 185-pound belt in 2025 to Khamzat Chimaev. The division currently is chasing two-time champion Sean Strickland, who upset Chimaev earlier this year to reclaim the title.

Hernandez needed just 15 seconds or so to push inside and try to take Rodrigues down. They wound up clinched against the fence to trade short elbows while trading position for more than a minute. Hernandez briefly had a single-leg takedown attempt, but Rodrigues defended and stayed on his feet. With 3:15 left, they finally moved back to the center.

With 3:15 left, they finally moved back to the center, but Hernandez again moved in and tried to drag Rodrigues down. Again, he was unsuccessful, and he ate a few jabs when they moved back to the middle with two minutes left. Rodrigues pumped the jab again, then defended another takedown. And just after that, “Robocop” landed a pair of punches. Hernandez shook his head as if to say they didn’t affect him, and soon after he landed a pair of his own.

With a minute left, Hernandez stayed after a takedown – but again failed, for the sixth time in the round. They traded punches down the stretch, including when he again missed on a takedown.

Hernandez came forward quickly in the second and landed a right, but Rodrigues answered with a pair of his own. And those punches made Hernandez shoot again – and once again, the Brazilian stayed on his feet. Back in the center, Rodrigues worked kicks and slid away from a pair of Hernandez right hooks. His strategy seemed to shift to low kicks to Hernandez’s lead leg, and the headliner shot once more at the 3:45 mark.

Rodrigues continued to defend the takedowns, and back in the middle Rodrigues dropped Hernandez with a leg kick. Back up, he got dropped again and Rodrigues swarmed with punches. Rodrigues stayed patient and took Hernandez down a third time with a third leg kick with two minutes left. He got to full mount on the canvas and landed punches and elbows with the crowd in a gentle hum knowing the home favorite was getting lit up.

Somehow, Hernandez survived to get back to his feet, which was a miracle of sorts in itself – and he came forward and swung for the fences. He landed, and he hurt Rodrigues against the fence. When Rodrigues threw back, Hernandez dropped down – and finally got his first takedown of the fight just before the horn, in a bit of poetic irony.

Just 10 seconds into the third, Hernandez took Rodrigues down and started punching him from his back. He went after a rear-naked choke with Rodrigues appearing to be exhausted and unsure how the tides had turned. Rodrigues got back to his feet a minute in, but Hernandez stayed on him and landed a big right hand.

Hernandez shifted to southpaw stance to start the round because of the damage to his left leg, which took it away from Rodrigues to attack. With three minutes left, Hernandez again wanted a takedown and instead landed an elbow when it wasn’t there. Halfway through, they split apart, but soon clinched again with Hernandez trying to take him down.

The majority of the third was spent against the fence – a win on points for Hernandez, and a likely momentum shift with Rodrigues looking wiped out.

Rodrigues landed a solid left 10 seconds into the fourth, then fended off a takedown a few seconds later. He stayed in the center and one an exchange there, then backed Hernandez up toward the fence with a knee. He landed four punches in the middle, but ate one back. A minute in, he landed a kick to the body, then elbows over the top, along with right hands. Ninety seconds in, the momentum had shifted to Rodrigues again, and he landed another huge right. That exposed Hernandez’s left leg, which Rodrigues kicked again.

With three minutes left, Hernandez got a few punches off, but ate another body kick. And with half a round to go, Rodrigues landed more massive rights. Rodrigues landed a knee, then another combo and kept Hernandez backing up. But the home favorite kept throwing and stayed dangerous given Rodrigues’ hands stayed down throughout. Hernandez had his first takedown attempt with 90 seconds left in the round and used it to land some elbows. They tumbled to the canvas briefly with 40 seconds left, but were right back up. Hernandez got a late takedown – just his third in 23 attempts, unofficially, but it wasn’t enough to win the round.

Hernandez’s cornermen told him with no uncertainty that he needed a finish in the fifth, but Rodrigues continually landed and moved forward, true to his “Robocop” nickname. With 75 seconds left, Rodrigues landed another leg kick that led to a knockdown, and he went to work on top to close things out with the upset.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Sacramento results:Gregory Rodrigues def. Anthony Hernandez via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 48-47)Vitor Petrino def. Serghei Spivac via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)Reinier de Ridder def. Roman Dolidze via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:01MarQuel Mederos def. Mason Jones via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:07Carli Judice def. Jeisla Chaves via TKO (kick, punches) – Round 1, 1:39Anthony Wint def. Terrance Chatman via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:29Jamall Emmers def. Lerryan Douglas via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:38Shamil Gaziev def. Kennedy Nzechukwu via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:20Chris Padilla def. Nasrat Haqparast via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 4:59Marcio Barbosa def. Ryan Kuse via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:47Stan Dorsainvil def. Gauge Young via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Jackson McVey def. Wes Schultz via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 1, 4:13Shanelle Dyer def. Elise Reed via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:42