Anthony Hernandez put on a clinic earlier tonight (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024) at UFC Vegas 99 LIVE on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, utilizing suffocating pressure and grappling to stop middleweight contender Michel Pereira with a ????.
Outside of a clean body kick and a few good hooks in the first round, Pereira didn’t land much of anything in this main event affair. The talented striker was on the defensive for the entire time as Hernandez offered non-stop forward movement, takedowns, and heavy ground-and-pound. Not to mention a plethora of submission attempts.
Pereira, who came into this fight riding an eight-fight win streak, tried to survive as long as he could. The former welterweight was exhausted fighting off his back and didn’t have a second to spare. His entire offensive gameplan was shut down as Hernandez took over and had his way at every turn of the fight.
In the end, Hernandez was able to drag Pereira to deep water and end him with a heavy punches and elbows in the fifth and final round. It was a complete washout.
Check out the final moments below:
Fluffy Hernandez. THE REALEST.
dark horse of middleweight just made a lot of noise.Let’s make Vettori x Hernandez next. #UFCVegas99 pic.twitter.com/BuiKj5jRxD
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) October 20, 2024
HERNANDEZ WAS UNSTOPPABLE AGAINST PEREIRA #UFCVegas99 pic.twitter.com/Iw0HfrISKK
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 20, 2024
Hernandez, 31, has now won his last six trips to the Octagon. “Fluffy” may not be the most exciting contender at 185 pounds, but the former LFA champion is efficient at what he does. This victory will land him in the top 10 to close out the year and line him up as a dark horse title contender heading into 2025.
For complete UFC Vegas 99 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.