5 takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira
The UFC's latest Fight Night event took place in Las Vegas last night. With just two finishes on an eleven-fight card, this was not a memorable show.
UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira did produce a couple of fun moments, but they were few and far between.
In all honesty, after considering a handful of talking points, it's probably best to forget this one and move swiftly onto next weekend's big pay-per-view.
With that in mind, here are five takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira.
#5. Was this the worst UFC event of 2024 thus far?
Sandwiched inside the same month as two major pay-per-views and on the same night as a big PFL show, last night's event was never going to get too much attention from fans.
However, as we've seen countless times before, you can't judge a UFC event before it happens based on name value or star power. Some of the better events we've been treated to in 2024, for instance, have been similar APEX shows to this one.
Unfortunately, last night's event was a letdown in every possible way.
Not only did nine of the eleven bouts on offer go the distance - with the headliner featuring a fifth-round finish - but none were all that entertaining, either.
Sure, there was nothing wrong with fights like Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda and Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji, but by the standards of a better event, both bouts would've gone under the radar.
Essentially, this was a rare misfire from the UFC. In many ways, given the number of events they produce these days, we ought to end up with more like this one. The fact that we don't is a blessing in itself, so it's better to take an event like last night's for what it is and simply move on.
#4. Darren Elkins lives to fight another day again
It sounds odd to suggest that a fighter who won his last bout handily could've have his back to the wall coming into last night's event.
However, for a 40-year-old, 14-year veteran like Darren Elkins, every fight he takes in the UFC could turn out to be his last one.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case for the popular stalwart last night. Not only did 'The Damage' come out on top in his fight with fellow veteran Daniel Pineda, but the two men were able to claim a $50k bonus for Fight of the Night, too.
Tasked with opening the main card after a largely forgettable series of preliminary bouts, Elkins suffered through a tricky first round that saw Pineda come close with a guillotine choke.
By the end of the stanza, though, he'd turned things round in trademark fashion, and from there, he largely beat Pineda up, outside of a leg kick that dropped him momentarily late on.
When the fight went the distance, there wasn't much doubt about the result, and sure enough, 'The Damage' claimed a well-earned decision victory to take his current win streak to two.
Elkins isn't going to climb back into title contention at this stage of his career, but as an entertaining veteran, the longer he can last, the better. Younger UFC fighters would do well to follow his example, in fact.
#3. Charles Johnson's unlikely run towards flyweight title contention continues
Coming into last night's event, many observers suspected a potential future flyweight title contender could be in action.
That was because Asu Almabayev - who had already gone 3-0 in the UFC and held an overall record of 20-2 - was set to fight Matheus Nicolau on the preliminary card.
However, while 'Zulfikar' did win his clash with the Brazilian and should move into the top ten thanks to the win, there might be more shine on Charles Johnson right now.
'InnerG' won what was one of last night's few entertaining bouts, edging out Su Mudaejri over three rounds after coming close to a TKO finish in the second round.
Johnson's UFC record of 6-4 is certainly not all that impressive, but right now, he is on a four-fight winning streak. More to the point, Mudaerji and Joshua Van, who he stopped in July, are not gimme opponents by any means.
With Matt Schnell - who is now retired - somehow still ranked in the top fifteen at 125 pounds, Johnson certainly can't be far off that kind of area now. It's time to push him up the ladder in his next fight and really test him.
#2. Rob Font remains the premier gatekeeper at 135 pounds
Rob Font came into last night's bout with Kyler Phillips as a betting underdog, but in hindsight, that probably wasn't a smart move from bookmakers.
Sure, he'd gone 1-4 in his last five bouts and hadn't won a fight since April 2023, but his losses had come to elite fighters like Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figuereido.
Phillips, meanwhile, had never beaten someone of that caliber, even if he'd displayed flashes of brilliance in his wins over Song Yadong and Pedro Munhoz.
Essentially, this fight felt like the UFC's way to test Phillips to see whether he could make the step up to the next level.
In the end, 'The Matrix' came up painfully short. Despite winning the first round by controlling Font on the ground, he was outgunned standing and couldn't get to grips with the boxing rhythm and combination work of his foe.
Font wasn't able to secure a finish - hardly surprising on a card chock-full of finishes - but this was more proof that he's probably the toughest gatekeeper to the elite in the bantamweight division right now.
As for Phillips, at least that gate to the elite level is firmly closed for now.
#1. Anthony Hernandez might be the middleweight division's dark horse
Last night's headline fight between Michel Pereira and Anthony Hernandez felt like a way to introduce 'Demolidor' to title contention at 185 pounds while also allowing him to become a star in the eyes of UFC fans.
Surprisingly, though, neither of those things happened. Instead, Hernandez proved once again why he's the middleweight division's ultimate dark horse.
Not only did 'Fluffy' beat Pereira, but he dominated him, eventually finishing him via TKO in the fifth round to earn a $50k bonus. The win was his seventh in a row and his fourth stoppage in a row, too.
More impressively, this win didn't come all that easily. Pereira hurt him in the early going with a body kick, and could've wilted him with the flurry that followed.
Instead, though, Hernandez gutted it out, and as 'Demolidor' tired, he took over, beating him down on the ground in cruel, methodical fashion.
When referee Herb Dean pulled 'Fluffy' off a bloodied Pereira in the fifth round, it felt like a merciful call.
Overall, the showing was a real eye-opener from Hernandez. Whether he'll move up from his current spot of No.13 in the rankings is debatable, but he's almost certainly earned a shot at a top ten opponent next time out.
Either way, his win here was a nice way to end what was a disappointing night overall.