Tomorrow night in the main event of UFC Vegas 99, we are going to see a big time middleweight matchup between two top fifteen middleweight contenders. The always entertaining Michel Pereira (31-11) will try to keep his incredible middleweight run going against the surging Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez (12-2).
Starting with Michel Pereira, he’ll be going for his ninth straight win tomorrow night. After an incredible UFC debut against Danny Roberts in 2019, Pereira suffered back-to-back losses (one by DQ in a fight he dominated). Since then, he’s been perfect. However, his biggest opponent was always his weight.
Pereira originally fought at 170 pounds and the weight cut was a nightmare. He was supposed to fight Stephen Thompson last July, but the fight got called off due to a weight miss. The UFC made Pereira move up to 185 and the results speak for themselves. He’s 3-0 with three first round finishes against good competition. Not a single fight has gone longer than 66 seconds.
Anthony Hernandez will look to change that tomorrow as he goes for his sixth straight win. After getting stopped by Kevin Holland in 2020, Hernandez has put together a very impressive winning streak. In his last fight, he submitted Roman Kopylov in the second round at UFC 298. Now, he’ll look to stop the momentum of Michel Pereira.
UFC Vegas 99 Prediction
Honestly, I’m stunned by the betting odds in this fight. This is not meant to be a dig at Anthony Hernandez, but I have no idea how he is the betting favorite against Michel Pereira. On the feet, he’s not as fast or powerful as Pereira. When it comes to grappling, he’s not as strong or explosive as Pereira.
I have actually had a tough time finding Hernandez’s path to victory in this fight. Ultimately, I think Hernandez wins if he gets through the early storm that comes his way and Pereira gasses out. I don’t see Hernandez going out and taking the win, I think the win would come to him in that scenario by getting through the adversity from Pereira.
However, I don’t see him getting through it at UFC Vegas 99. Yes, I’m choosing to believe the hype and I think we see another spectacular performance and finish from Michel Pereira. He looks like a new man at 185 pounds and after this win, he’ll be looking at top ten competition.
Prediction: Michel Pereira by TKO