UFC middleweight mixed martial artist Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez trains with coach Thomas Fallon at Thomas Fallon’s Mixed Martial Arts in Citrus Heights on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Hernandez, who is from Dunnigan in Yolo County, is scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues at Golden 1 Center in August.
PAUL KITAGAKI JR.
pkitagaki@sacbee.com
Not only do they look the part of fit and motivated middleweight contenders in Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night 285 at Golden 1 Center, but check out their nicknames.
Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez of Yolo County roots and inspiration takes on “Robocop” Gregory Rodrigues, and they represent the headliner event that will include 26 total fighters on a robust fight card. The event airs on the Paramount+ app with coverage starting at 2 p.m. and the main event expected to start later in the evening.
Hernandez and Rodrigues stepped off the scales on Friday’s weigh-in at Golden 1 Center at a hair under 185 pounds each. Hernandez was shirtless, though covered in tattoos, many of them honoring his heritage and family.
Rodrigues has no upper-body ink, but he did sport a game face to match Hernandez. Hernandez is 14-2 and ranked as the No. 6 middleweight contender. Fluffy has nine wins by submission, three via knockout, in this sport in which almost anything goes. He has the most takedowns landed in UFC middleweight division history with 54.
Gregory Rodrigues, standing, reacts after defeating Brunno Ferreira during UFC 326 on March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Stephen R. Sylvanie IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Hernandez said he is eager to bounce back after a loss to now-champion Sean Strickland in February.
Rodrigues, a Florida resident by way of Brazil, is 19-6 and is ranked 11th in the UFC middleweight class. Robocop has a three-match winning streak and has won six of seven his last fights, four by knockout.
“This is a blessing,” Hernandez said earlier in the week during a media session at Golden 1 Center, wearing a letterman’s jacket that had his nickname splashed across the left side. The origin of the nickname comes from his youth, “when I was a fat kid, and people called me ‘Fluffy,’” he said in a Sacramento Bee interview last month.
UFC middleweight mixed martial artist Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez trains with coach Thomas Fallon at Thomas Fallon’s Mixed Martial Arts in Citrus Heights on Thursday, July 16. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com
“This is what dreams have been made of,” Hernandez continued at Golden 1 Center. “I remember chasing this dream when I was a 15-year-old kid. So to be able to have this main event in Sacramento, it’s a blessing.”
Hernandez is so dialed in to this event that he said he hasn’t checked his cellphone, which he said “has like over 230-something messages unread. The main thing is to go out there and fight, and then we’ll celebrate after.”
Hernandez is a grappler in the octagon who can unleash crushing blows with his fists, elbows and legs.
He doesn’t overthink his approach. It’s seek and destroy.
“I just go out there and … swing on somebody and have a great time, and have a great time trying to hurt them,” Hernandez said. “You know. Keep it simple.”
Hernandez said he respects all opponents, knowing that they both want the same thing — to demoralize and defeat.
This is also a sport heavy on cursing. That includes Hernandez, and otherwise nice man who smiles plenty but does not filter his words.
“I’m not like, ‘Oh (expletive)! It’s this guy,’” he said. He said he doesn’t give a you-know-what. I “Like, I really don’t care. I will fight anybody. I will take my chance against anybody. I’ve been doing martial arts since I was 15, and I feel pretty well-rounded.”
UFC middleweight mixed martial artist Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez holds his mouth guard during training at Thomas Fallon’s Mixed Martial Arts in Citrus Heights on Thursday, July 16. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com
Hernandez wants to earn more paydays from his craft of fighting, and then return to a simple life in rural Yolo County. He and his wife and their two young children have a farm in Dunnigan.
“The goal is make money and then get my a– back to the ranch,” he said. “That’s my goal, my main goal. I’m from the country, from Dunnigan. It’s like 45 miles north (of here). There’s absolutely no one out here. It’s peaceful. It’s beautiful. It’s almond orchards, and I’m going to take my dirt bike and go out for a ride and absorb the energy.
“It’s way more peaceful out there. Here is more chaotic.”
Related Stories from Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee
Joe Davidson has covered sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1989: preps, colleges, Kings and features. He was in early 2024 named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California and he was in the fall of 2024 inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association. In 2021, he was honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award. He is a member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Davidson participated in football and track in Oregon.