Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira both made weight for their middleweight main event atop the UFC Vegas 99 fight card on Sat. night (Oct. 19, 2024), going down at the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Get complete UFC Vegas 99 weigh ins results and video here.
“I’m a sick f***, I guess,” Hernandez told UFC.com. “Something about just breaking someone’s soul and seeing them just like, ‘F*** it.’ It f***ing gets me going. I don’t know what it is, but I just like breaking people. It’s fun to see for me.”
“I talk a lot of s*** when I fight (laughs),” Hernandez continued. “I don’t talk s*** on social media and all that, but when we’re fighting, we’re actually trying to hurt each other; that’s war tactics. Get in their head, f*** with them, break them, no matter what. You can tell in someone’s eyes.
“I’m in shape for a f*** ton of rounds, so when I see people start to get tired, I’m like, ‘Oh, b****, I’m just getting started.’ That’s another gear,” Hernandez said. “Now we’re hitting third, fourth, fifth gear. Not cruising no more. I love it.”
We’ll see if Pereira loves it on Sat. night.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 99 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+preliminary card matchups which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+at 7 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 99 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Hernandez vs. Pereira” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.
A.J. McKee has some business to handle on Saturday but if all goes well it looks like he’ll finally get the fight he’s been chasing for over a year.
At the upcoming PFL: Battle of the Giants event, McKee faces fast-rising prospect Paul Hughes in the first bout on the pay-per-view main card but it seemed like a showdown against Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov was inevitable. An injury knocked McKee out of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix, which prevented him from chasing the fight back then, but a recent encounter with Usman’s cousin and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov gave him the news he’s been waiting to hear.
“That’s the fight everyone wants is Usman and McKee,” McKee told MMA Fighting. “I think that’s what’s on the roster next. That’s what everybody wants and I don’t think there’s any other fights to make.
“I was down at [Usman’s] fight in San Diego and Khabib [Nurmagomedov] walks by and says ‘see you in Dubai.’ I’m like I’ll see you in Dubai so it looks like they’re pushing for it and I’m pushing for it. So it looks like we’re going to make it happen. There’s really no other fight to make happen.”
Since moving to lightweight, McKee has gone undefeated with a perfect 4-0 record including a lightning quick finish over PFL favorite Clay Collard back in February.
This time around he’s facing an up and comer in Hughes, who just signed with PFL as a free agent earlier this year and only has one fight under his belt with the promotion. Going from a win over a journeyman like Bobby King to a fight against arguably the No. 1 contender in the lightweight division might seem like an almost unrealistic step up in competition.
McKee can’t get inside Hughes’ head to know what he’s thinking but he plans on showing him there are levels to this game when they meet on Saturday.
“He really hasn’t dealt with any pressure,” McKee said. “He’s just been kind of walking through guys. How’s he going to react when things get a little nitty gritty and sticky? I’m not one to back down. So I’m going to be in his face the entire time. That’s what we’re going to have to see. How does Paul Hughes react when things aren’t going his way? What is he going to be capable of in those moments?
“I remember wanting to be neck and neck with the best. But it’s like Fast and the Furious — too soon Junior. That’s the quote I’m looking to drop in this one.”
Truth be told, McKee didn’t even really knows Hughes before he got offered the fight because he leaves scouting up to his father and trainer, Antonio McKee.
Maybe Hughes really is the next big thing but McKee promises he’s not going to be the stepping stone on his ascension to stardom.
“I don’t really pay attention [to my opponents],” McKee said. “My dad’s the one who watches video and footage and puts together the game plan. For me, a name is a name. The hit list is the hit list and I’m just going to continue to go in there and take out people one at a time. Paul Hughes, he’s a tough cat. I can’t take anything away from him. He’s been in there, he’s been fighting and I’m just going to go in there and show him I’m a different breed.
“I’ve been in his position so I know that young, hungry feeling. I remember the first time I fought a vet. My first vet was Pat Curran. So I remember that hungry feeling. I remember wanting that moment. I’m older but I ain’t that old. I’m still holding my ground. I’m going to do what I do best and that’s come out victorious by any means.
UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results!
Before heading back to the Middle East to stage its latest pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi next weekend, the mixed martial arts leader has one final piece of Fight Night business to attend to at the Apex.
Topping the lineup on Oct. 19 will be a clash of ranked middleweight fan favorites as Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez collides with the always entertaining and eccentric Michel Pereira.
Elsewhere, the likes of longtime bantamweight contender Rob Font, former LFA champion Charles Johnson, two-time TUF winner Brad Katona, and top-10 flyweight Matheus Nicolau will all be in action.
UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Pereira Weigh-In Results
UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Pereira takes place on Saturday, October 19, at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the preliminary card starting at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
See above for a live stream of the weigh-ins via MMA Junkie, and check out the full results below!
Main Card:
Middleweight Main Event: Anthony Hernandez (185.5lbs) vs. Michel Pereira (185.5lbs)
Bantamweight Co-Main Event: Rob Font (135.5lbs) vs. Kyler Phillips (135.5lbs)
Flyweight: Charles Johnson (126lbs) vs. Sumudaerji (126lbs)
Bantamweight: Jake Hadley (135.5lbs) vs. Cameron Smotherman (135.5lbs)
Featherweight: Darren Elkins (144.5lbs) vs. Daniel Pineda (145.5lbs)
Preliminary Card:
Flyweight: Matheus Nicolau (125.5lbs) vs. Asu Almabayev (125.5lbs)
Bantamweight: Brad Katona (135.5lbs) vs. Jean Matsumoto (135.5lbs)
Women’s Bantamweight: Joselyne Edwards (139.5lbs)* vs. Tamires Vidal (135.5lbs)
Women’s Strawweight: Jessica Penne (115.5lbs) vs. Elise Reed (115lbs)
Women’s Strawweight: Melissa Martinez (115.5lbs) vs. Alice Ardelean (115lbs)
Heavyweight: Austen Lane (251lbs) vs. Robelis Despaigne (264lbs)
*Joselyne Edwards missed the bantamweight limit by 3.5 pounds, fight status TBC
Continue Reading UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira Weigh-In Results at MMA News.
Joselyne Edwards | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Joselyne Edwards had another rough day at the scale.
For the third time in her UFC career, Edwards came in over the bantamweight limit, registering at 139 pounds for her fight with Tamires Vidal (135.5) on Saturday at UFC Vegas 99. That’s a miss of three pounds for Edwards (including the one-pound allowance for a non-title fight), who weighed in again after hitting 139.5 pounds on her first attempt.
Watch footage of Edwards’ attempts below from Friday’s official weigh-ins, courtesy of Amy Kaplan.
She’s weighed in again 139 pounds after taking her extensions off #UFCVegas99 https://t.co/UQK3vVLzz7 pic.twitter.com/nEVW7ZADhn
— Amy Kaplan (@PhotoAmy33) October 18, 2024
It is not yet known if the bout will proceed as a catchweight and, if so, how much of Edwards’ purse will be forfeited as penalty.
Edwards previously missed weight for bouts against Lucie Pudilova and Ji Yeon Kim, though never by more than 1.5 pounds. In both of those instances, Edwards went on to win a split decision. She enters Saturday’s preliminary bout coming off of consecutive losses to Ailin Perez and Nora Cornolle.
The main event weigh-ins brought better news as middleweight contenders Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira both successfully made weight at 185.5 pounds, making use of the one-pound allowance for a non-title fight.
Check out UFC Vegas 99 official weigh-in results below.
Main Card (ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET)
Anthony Hernandez (185.5) vs. Michel Pereira (185.5)
Rob Font (135.5) vs. Kyler Phillips (135.5)
Charles Johnson (126) vs. Sumudaerji (126)
Jake Hadley (135.5) vs. Cameron Smotherman (135.5)
Darren Elkins (144.5) vs. Daniel Pineda (145.5)
Preliminary Card (ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET)
Matheus Nicolau (125.5) vs. Asu Almabayev (125.5)
Brad Katona (135.5) vs. Jean Matsumoto (135.5)
Joselyne Edwards (139)* vs. Tamires Vidal (135.5)
Jessica Penne (115.5) vs. Elise Reed (115)
Melissa Martinez (115.5) vs. Alice Ardelean (115)
Austen Lane (251) vs. Robelis Despaigne (264)
*missed weight on second attempt. Weighed in over the limit at 139.5 pounds on first attempt
The UFC Vegas 99 weigh-in video features 20 fighters stepping on the scale Friday morning in Las Vegas. Watch a live stream of the event above, courtesy of Ag. Fight.
In the main event, Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira have to hit the middleweight limit of 186 pounds for the non-title fight. Hernandez has won five straight fights, while Pereira has reeled off eight straight victories.
Rob Font and Kyler Phillips have to hit the 136-pound limit for the non-title bantamweight fight in the co-main event.
The UFC Vegas 99 official weigh-in video begins at 12 p.m. ET.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Vegas 99 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which is set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024) on ESPN+ from inside APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Vegas 99 features a middleweight main event between Top 15 title contenders Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira, a five-round headliner with major title implications for early 2025 and beyond.
Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the bantamweight showdown between Rob Font and Kyler Phillips, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Vegas 99 main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Hernandez vs. Pereira” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Vegas 99 live results and play-by-play click here.
185 lbs.: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira
Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez Record: 12-2, 1 NC | Age: 31 | Betting line: -135 Wins: 2 KO/TKO, 8 SUB, 2 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 0 DEC Height: 6’0” | Reach: 75” | Stance: Orthodox Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.30 | Striking accuracy: 59% Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.46 | Striking Defense: 45% Takedown Average: 6.62 (49% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 63% Current Ranking: No. 13 | Last fight: Submission win over Roman Kopylov
After an electric run on the regional scene, Anthony Hernandez earned his shot at a UFC contract by way of Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in June 2018, where “Fluffy” summarily destroyed opponent Jordan Wright in the first minute of the opening frame. Unfortunately, Hernandez popped for marijuana and the result was overturned, though NSAC eventually revised its outdated stance on weed and the infraction did little to hurt Hernandez’s opportunity to pursue a career in cage fighting.
That turned out to be a win for all parties involved, as “Fluffy” has been nothing short of exceptional in the six years that followed. Hernandez is the winner of five straight with four violent finishes and bagged a pair of performance bonuses along the way. During that stretch he also racked up a staggering 25 takedowns and is now just a handful of takedowns away from cracking the Top 5 all-time among wrestling leaders in the 185-pound weight class. Not bad for a competitor who is still just 31 years old and fighting in his athletic prime.
“At the end of the day, when I get in the cage, it’s, ‘F*** you, fight me, b****, it’s as simple as that,” Hernandez told UFC.com. “I’m going to be there every second, like a little f***ing fly in your face bugging you. I’m just going to show everyone that the next champ is here. That’s the goal. That’s what it’s always been. This fight just shows that I’m going to get closer and closer. So be ready, motherf***ers.”
His wrestling will certainly be put to the test against Michel Pereira, a stingy defensive wrestler with a takedown defense of 94 percent. That was primarily in the welterweight division where he was fighting smaller competition, but he’s still got a height advantage on Hernandez. “Demolidor” started as one of the most violent fighters on the roster and quickly became must-watch TV with his crazy (and often effective) array of unorthodox attacks. The Brazilian has since tempered his wild style to focus more on winning and less on dazzling the crowd and it’s hard to argue against the results: eight straight wins with three straight finishes.
“I got very prepared, I’m very ready for this to go five rounds, but I do not think this fight is going to go five rounds,” Pereira told reporters at the UFC Vegas 99 media day. “Let’s wait and see what happens, but I do not believe this fight is going five rounds. I don’t pay attention to [the betting lines] because I do think he’s coming off four or five straight wins in the division, so I understand why people would say [he’s the favorite]. It’s the merit to his credit, much respect to him. I’m accomplishing that, and I’m making my own accomplishments right now. That’s what I’m going to get to in this division as well.”
Hernandez is a notoriously slow starter but what he lacks in aggressiveness he more than makes up for in stamina, certainly a concern for Pereira. I think the goal for “Fluffy” is to let “Demolidor” empty his tank with an early blitzkrieg, then take over midway through the fight and work to submit the exhausted Brazilian. The more likely scenario is that Pereira takes advantage of a little-too-composed Hernandez and melts him with an early attack — assuming he doesn’t get himself trapped in a guillotine upon entry.
Prediction: Pereira def. Hernandez by technical knockout
135 lbs.: Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips
Rob Font Record: 20-8 | Age: 37 | Betting line: +320 Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 4 SUB, 7 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 7 DEC Height: 5’8“ | Reach: 71” | Stance: Orthodox Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.53 | Striking accuracy: 45% Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.65 | Striking Defense: 56% Takedown Average: 0.89 (35% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 46% Current Ranking: No. 10 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Deiveson Figueiredo
Kyler “The Matrix” Phillips Record: 12-2 | Age: 29 | Betting line: -430 Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 5 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 2 DEC Height: 5’8“ | Reach: 72” | Stance: Orthodox Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.72 | Striking accuracy: 45% Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.38 | Striking Defense: 61% Takedown Average: 2.41 (46% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 75% Current Ranking: No. 12 | Last fight: Unanimous decision victory over Pedro Munhoz
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Rob Font was ranked No. 4 at 135 pounds and perhaps one big performance away from a crack at the bantamweight crown. Unfortunately, Font was unable to get past former featherweight champion Jose Aldo and what followed was a compete collapse, to the tune of four losses across his next five fights. That includes his unanimous decision defeat to the resurgent Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Austin last December and now Font is in danger of dropping out of the division Top 10 against a much-younger opponent with an impressive win streak.
“Kyler, he brings it,” Font told reporters at the UFC Vegas 99 media day. “He’s nonstop action. These type of guys, there’s more opportunities to counter, more opportunities to get finishes, and they’re not necessarily a boring fight at all. I think this is a great matchup. I think this is a ‘Fight of the Night’ for sure. Like I said, he brings it. He starts off fast. I believe I start off fast, as well. He has a wild kicking style. He’ll pull guard and try to jump on submissions.”
“This feels similar to when I fought Adrian Yanez,” Font continued. “Unfortunately I lost two in a row, then I fought him, got a big win and then lost another two in a row. Now I’m back with another unranked fighter that’s super dangerous, so it has that feeling. It just gets me up and ready to go. I know with a big win, a big finish, the headlines will be different.”
Kyler Phillips is a product of Dana White’s “Contender Series,” scoring a technical knockout victory over James Gray Jr. but he failed to earn a contract on the inaugural season of the combat sports proving ground. “The Matrix” eventually got called up for UFC Norfolk and established himself as one of the division’s future stars with a 6-1 run. That said, a positive drug test for Ostarine back in May 2023 may have cost him some shine, which he can reclaim with a dominant performance this weekend at APEX. Phillips has relied mostly on speed and athleticism thus far in his career and there’s probably little reason to do otherwise against a 37 year-old Font who looks to be on the downside of his career.
“We got a good opponent,” Phillips told reporters at the UFC Vegas 99 media day. “We got one of the names we wanted. So it’s an honor to be able to do that and step into the Octagon with such a decorated fighter. I see myself matching up very well against anybody in the division, just because of my elusiveness and able to adapt on the fly at any given moment, but still have that basis of a strong fighter.”
Phillips has been winning in recent years and Font has been losing, so it’s no surprise to see “The Matrix” as the odds-on betting favorite. That said, -430 seems ridiculously high against a veteran like Font, who has knockout power and solid fundamentals. In addition, Font has been fighting at or near the top of the food chain for years, batting ex-champions and top title contenders, and most of his losses have been close affairs. Phillips is dangerous early and Font has looked befuddled from time-to-time, but I think he weathers an early storm and settles down later in the fight, stealing a decision on the judges’ scorecards.
Prediction: Font def. Phillips by decision
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the UFC Vegas 99 main card predictions RIGHT HERE.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 99 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+preliminary card matchups which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+at 7 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 99 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Hernandez vs. Pereira” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.
![Max Holloway: "I don't know if I could [win fighter of the year]. The way Alex took fights, the fastest guy to get three title defenses. That's a hard man to beat... I think Alex Pereira got that one in the bag already."](https://external-preview.redd.it/j4z0e1CZJ0UMxGKaIDHQpCkfqvzwBmwMROGTPUwO6uQ.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=946a59e435014961c930e9681f8b4e244b699c68 "Max Holloway: \"I don't know if I could [win fighter of the year]. The way Alex took fights, the fastest guy to get three title defenses. That's a hard man to beat... I think Alex Pereira got that one in the bag already.\"")
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