Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira meet Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 245 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Last event: 3-3
UFC main cards, 2024: 87-77-3
Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 245 preview
Hernandez (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) enters his first UFC main event on a five-fight winning streak. He has finished three straight opponents: Marc-Andre Barriault and Edmen Shahbazyan in the third round, and Roman Kopylov in Round 2. Hernandez has also taken home two Performance of the Night bonuses on his current streak. … Pereira (31-11 MMA, 9-2 UFC) also enters on a hot streak as a winner of his last eight, including three consecutive stoppages after moving up to middleweight. He has also taken home five POTN bonuses during his winning streak.
Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 245 expert pick, prediction
The main event in Las Vegas features a matchup of middleweight contenders, Hernandez and Pereira.
Despite dealing with a slew of injury withdrawals for the past few years, Hernandez has established himself as a real force at 185 pounds. Whereas Pereira, who is riding the momentum of a 7-fight winning streak, has looked to be in top form since moving up from welterweight.
Although the stylistic dynamic slightly favors Hernandez’s relentless wrestling attacks (especially inside the smaller octagon of the Apex), Pereira will be incredibly dangerous early.
Aside from the fact that Pereira carries knockout power in his hands, the Brazilian is also good about going to the body – which appears to be kryptonite to Hernandez.
That said, we still haven’t seen Pereira’s suspect gas tank tested in some time, so I’m curious how “Demolidor” will deal with Hernandez’s Dagestani spin cycle of positional rides and attacks on the floor.
A Pereira win wouldn’t shock me, but I’ll officially side with Hernandez to survive the initial storms and pull away down the stretch for a submission win in Round 3.
Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 245 odds
The oddsmakers and the public heavily favor the Uzbek fighter, listing Temirov -325 and Vergara +250 via FanDuel.
Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 245 start time, how to watch
As the main event, Hernandez and Pereira are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:05 p.m. ET (6:05 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.
