Fans attending the latest
Ultimate Fighting Championship event at Golden 1 Center in
Sacramento, California, were treated to an action-packed card.

The
UFC Sacramento headliner featured a middleweight clash between
Anthony
Hernandez and Gregory
Rodrigues. The two delivered an entertaining fight, but
Rodrigues ultimately had his hand raised. In the co-main event,
Vitor
Petrino defeated Serghei
Spivac in a heavyweight bout. Although the co-feature did not
live up to expectations, the event produced 10 finishes in 13
fights.

Gregory Rodrigues, Reinier de Ridder and Carli Judice face
intriguing possibilities after UFC Sacramento

Let’s examine what could be next for the main-card winners.Good “Robocop,” bad “Robocop”
Thanks to sharper striking and punishing leg kicks, Rodrigues
(20-6, 11-3 UFC) outstruck fellow former
Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder Hernandez (15-4, 1 NC; 9-4
UFC) in the UFC Sacramento main event. Hernandez rallied in Rounds
3 and 4, but “Robocop” did enough to earn a unanimous decision.
Rodrigues has won seven of his past eight Octagon appearances.

The next logical step for Rodrigues could be a clash with Nassourdine
Imavov. Both fighters consistently pursue finishes, making this
an appealing matchup. Although Imavov has called for a title shot,
he might have to wait with Khamzat
Chimaev and Dricus Du
Plessis also pursuing the championship currently held by
Sean
Strickland. A victory over Imavov could move Rodrigues close to
his own shot at the middleweight crown.

In the heavyweight co-main event, Petrino (15-2, 8-2 UFC) grappled
his way to a unanimous decision over former World Warriors Fighting
Championship titleholder Spivac (18-7, 9-7 UFC) in a lackluster
affair. It was not Petrino’s best performance, but the victory
extended his winning streak to four.

The Brazilian continues to climb the rankings in a heavyweight
division badly in need of new contenders. A matchup with noted
finisher Brando
Pericic, who is building momentum of his own, could offer an
interesting test. The pairing would give both men an opportunity to
establish themselves as emerging threats in the division.

“The Dutch Knight” rises
Former two-division One
Championship titleholder Reinier
de Ridder (22-4, 5-2 UFC) made a successful UFC light
heavyweight debut by defeating Roman
Dolidze (15-6, 9-6 UFC). De Ridder capitalized on Dolidze’s
decision to pull guard early, overwhelming his opponent on the
canvas by continually advancing position and landing punches.

The end came 4:01 into the first round, when Dolidze

could no longer intelligently defend himself as de Ridder poured on
strikes from back control. Although “The Dutch Knight”
rebounded from consecutive defeats, the victory came against a
fellow middleweight competing outside his usual weight class.

To secure a spot in the light heavyweight rankings, de Ridder
should next face an established 205-pounder such as Bogdan
Guskov. Although Guskov lost his most recent assignment, he
remains a dangerous opponent who could provide a meaningful
test.

Dana
White’s Contender Series graduate Mederos (12-1-1, 4-0-1 UFC)
established himself as a lightweight to watch by stopping former
two-division
Cage Warriors titleholder Mason Jones
(18-3, 1 NC; 4-3, 1 NC UFC). Mederos overcame adversity in the
opening round before finishing Jones
with a barrage of elbows and punches 2:07 into Round
2.

Mederos’ former opponent, Chris
Padilla, also prevailed at UFC Sacramento, rendering Nasrat
Haqparast unconscious with an arm-triangle choke in a potential
“Submission of the Year” contender on the preliminary card. Because
the first meeting between Mederos and Padilla ended in an
anticlimactic majority draw, a rematch would provide both men with
an opportunity to settle the score.

As “Crispy” as it gets
In a women’s flyweight clash, Carli
Judice (7-2, 4-1 UFC) earned her fourth straight victory by
stopping Jeisla
Chaves (8-1, 1-1 UFC) in the opening round. Judice applied
pressure from the outset, hurting Chaves
with a body kick before finishing her with punches 99 seconds into
the fight.

The time has come for “Crispy” to step up in competition and face a
ranked opponent. Former strawweight champion Rose
Namajunas could provide a suitable test. Although Namajunas
appears to be in the latter stages of her career, she remains a
difficult stylistic matchup for anyone at 125 pounds. A victory
over Namajunas could propel Judice into the top 10.

Former NFL linebacker Anthony
Wint (8-0, 1-0 UFC) impressed in his promotional debut by
defeating fellow Fury Fighting Championship alum and UFC newcomer
Terrance
Chatman (5-2, 0-1 UFC) at heavyweight. “Bow Down” moved the
action to the canvas and
rendered Chatman unconscious with an arm-triangle choke 4:29 into
Round 1.

Those who watched Wint compete on Dana White’s Contender Series
earlier in the month were already familiar with his potential. He
has now earned two victories in 11 days. Although both performances
were impressive, the Kill Cliff FC representative also showed that
he needs to better control his aggression.

Steven
Asplund could provide an appropriate next test. “Concrete” is a
well-rounded heavyweight capable of holding his own in striking and
grappling exchanges, making a fight between the two a useful
measuring stick.