UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues Live Updates, Results and Highlights

3 Takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues

There's a lot to unpack after Saturday's finish-filled card in Sacramento. Here are three big takeaways from the night.

Gregory "Robocop" Rodrigues has been hanging around the fringes of the middleweight top-15 for years, and proved in that time that he's too much for all but the division's best fighters. However, he never quite managed to break into the division's upper echelon, thanks primarily to cardio issues that led him to a momentum-killing loss to Jared Cannonier early last year. Against Hernandez, he proved that, in addition to the skills he's always had, he now has the gas tank to fight for five hard rounds, right till the end. That will be a very valuable asset as he begins to mix it up with the division's very best fighters—an opportunity he has proven he's ready for.

'RDR' Could Make Waves at Light Heavyweight

It's too early to call Reinier de Ridder a serious light heavyweight contender, but after he mauled an outmatched Roman Dolidze on Saturday's main card, his future in the division looks bright. He seemed to wear the extra weight well—no surprise given that he used to fight at 205 pounds in ONE Championship—and his elite grappling skill could make him a real problem for many of the fighters in the division, which is currently dominated by strikers like Carlos Ulberg, Jiri Prochazka, Paulo Costa, and Khalil Rountree Jr.

For years, the UFC heavyweight division suffered from a severe lack of fresh talent, as the same 10 or 15 fighters dominated the rankings, with little challenge from any newcomers. That is finally changing. On Saturday, we saw two rising heavyweights make big statements, as Vitor Petrino defeated Serghei Spivac by decision in the co-main event, and Anthony Wint made a successful UFC debut with an effortless TKO win over Terrance Chatman in the main card opener. It remains to be seen how far either guy will get, but they are welcome additions to the long stagnant division, as are other new arrivals like Josh Hokit, Brando Pericic, Valter Walker, Gable Steveson, Rizvan Kuniev, Mario Pinot, and Jovan Leka.