UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Pereira Fight Card, Predictions, & Odds

Ranked middleweight contenders will take center stage on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the UFC APEX, as No. 13-ranked Anthony Hernandez will face the No. 14-ranked challenger Michel Pereira for a chance to improve their position in the rankings.

The two athletes are riding their respective win streaks. Hernandez has won his last five fights, while Pereira has picked up eight successive victories. 

Despite having the longer win streak, Pereira is still the betting underdog with +110 UFC odds. Meanwhile, Hernandez will be the betting favorite at -130.

Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira Odds

• Anthony Hernandez: -130
• Michel Pereira: +110

Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira: Prediction

I predict that Hernandez will win via submission over Pereira because he has superior grappling skills. Although Pereira also holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Hernandez’s sleek transitions could be too much for Pereira to handle.

There isn’t much of a difference between the two in terms of the tale of the tape, but Hernandez will enjoy 2 inches of reach advantage against Pereira. However, the Brazilian will have a 2-inch edge of leg reach.

In terms of fighting style, Hernandez likes to take the fight to the ground and maneuver into multiple submission attempts until he secures one. He also has decent striking skills, sometimes catching his opponents and opening an opportunity for a TKO/KO finish.

On the other hand, Pereira is more of a striker fighter because he has one-shot knockout power. Furthermore, he utilizes his athleticism to attempt unorthodox striking techniques that make him unpredictable.

The key for Hernandez is to time the level change against Pereira and work his way into a back take, especially in the early stages of the fight. This way, he can grab hold of him and gas him out to take away his cardio and power.

For Pereira he needs to maintain the fight on the feet and maximize his power by taking the punishing Hernandez with combinations. Once he lands a perfect strike, he can rain down more punches and go for the finish.

Top 15 middleweights go at it in the APEX 👊@ILoveBamf takes on @UFCPereira in the #UFCVegas99 main event!

[ Live Saturday on @ESPNPlus 📺 ] pic.twitter.com/XPj8k2qnxg

— UFC (@ufc) October 14, 2024

Anthony Hernandez Recent Fight Results

Hernandez was a former LFA champion when he joined the Dana White Contender Series in June 2018, where he fought Jordan Wright. Although their match ended in a no-contest result, he still received a contract from the promotion.

Since making his debut inside the octagon, Hernandez has racked up an impressive 6-2 record. Several notable wins he’s got were against Roman Kopylov and Marc-André Barriault, while his losses were courtesy of Markus Perez and Kevin Holland.

Michel Pereira Recent Fight Results

When he made his UFC debut in May 2019, Pereira was already a veteran MMA professional. He had already fought globally and had over 30 pro fights. He made his promotional debut against Danny Roberts and stopped him in the opening round via TKO.

Since then, Pereira has won eight of his 10 fights in the UFC and defeated the likes of Niko Price, Santiago Ponzinibbio, Andre Petroski, and Michal Oleksiejczuk. His two losses were from Tristan Connelly and Diego Sanchez.

Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira: Tale of the Tape