Rodrigues landed 47 calf kicks, earned Fight of the Night, and called out former champion du Plessis. TKO's next big event is UFC 312 in Perth on Feb. 9.
Gregory Rodrigues won a unanimous decision over Anthony Hernandez in the main event of UFC Fight Night Sacramento on Saturday, landing 47 calf kicks and earning a Fight of the Night bonus that pushed the evening's total fighter incentives to $400,000.
Rodrigues (48-47, 49-46, 48-47) chopped at Hernandez's legs from the opening bell, mixing in power shots that kept the crowd favorite at bay. Hernandez nearly stole the fight in the third round, battling through the damage to land his own sequences. The judges got it right, Rodrigues said after the fight, and he immediately called out former champion Dricus du Plessis.
A win that puts Rodrigues into the Top 5 of the middleweight rankings makes that callout plausible. Du Plessis is scheduled to defend his title against Sean Strickland at UFC 312 in Perth on Feb. 9. A title-eliminator bout between Rodrigues and the winner would carry real pay-per-view weight for TKO Group Holdings (TKO), which owns the UFC outright.
TKO reported $1.7 billion in revenue last year. The $400,000 in discretionary bonuses from Sacramento is not material to that line, but the quality of the main event matters for subscriber retention on ESPN and gate revenue at similar regional cards. The promotion runs more than 40 events a year; one fight that generates highlight-reel footage helps the broader engagement math.
The co-main event was a different story. Vitor Petrino won a unanimous decision over Serghei Spivac in a fight that drew criticism from fans and broadcasters. Spivac appeared disinterested in pushing the pace, and Petrino may look for a quick turnaround to wash the negativity away.
MarQuel Mederos and Carli Judice each took home $100,000 Performance of the Night bonuses. Mederos, who took the fight on short notice and was working at Home Depot, now has a big win on his record. Judice showed power as a striker in a women's strawweight division that badly needs new names.
TKO shares closed at $125.40 Friday, up 12% year to date.
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