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UFC Sacramento is in the books and was one of the most entertaining fight cards of 2026. In 13 fights, 10 ended before the final bell, featuring eight TKO finishes and two submissions. Ranked middleweights headlined the card as Gregory Rodrigues notched one of the biggest wins of his career, beating No. 6 Anthony Hernandez via unanimous decision in what was a back-and-forth battle. Rodrigues consistently landed damaging shots throughout the fight, chopping Hernandez’s legs down with kicks and landing hard punches up top. In the co-main event, heavyweights clashed, and a new ranked contender has arrived. Victor Petrino entered Saturday night unranked at heavyweight. That’s no longer the case after a clear unanimous decision over No. 6-ranked Sergei Spivac. Petrino picked Spivac apart from the outside and had him bloodied up before the first round ended. Spivac never generated any offensive momentum and was even taken down by Petrino despite entering the fight with the consensus grappling advantage. In the feature bout, Reiner De Ridder made his light heavyweight debut after previously being a top-five middleweight. De Ridder faced off against another former middleweight, Roman Dolitze, and made easy work of him. MORE: Former NY Jets linebacker makes UFC debut in Sacramento De Ridder got Dolitze to the ground early and tee’d off on him with short punches as Dolitze tried to grapple his way out of trouble. This looked like the easiest fight of De Ridder’s UFC stint thus far. Big fights are in store for all three of these Saturday night winners, but who should they face next? Gregory Rodrigues vs Christian Leroy Duncan (middleweight) After beating Hernandez, Rodrigues needs another opponent in the top 10 before fighting at the top of the division. Christian Leroy Duncan is coming off the biggest win of his career, a unanimous decision against Jared Cannonier. Both fighters will now be ranked in the top 10. This would be an excellent fight to throw on either the November Madison Square Garden Card or the final numbered card of the year in Las Vegas. MORE: UFC Sacramento fighters brilliantly strike Spider-Man meme pose at weigh-ins This fight guarantees action, as Rodrigues’s forward pressure and power clash with Leroy Duncan’s movement and creativity as a striker. Victor Petrino vs Alexander Rakić (heavyweight) Two former light heavyweights who have moved up a weight class and shined in their debuts. Victor Petrino coasted to a victory against No. 6 Sergei Spivac; his next fight against Rakić makes sense because much of the top of the heavyweight division is booked. No. 2-ranked Alexander Volkov is fighting No. 8-ranked Rizvan Kuniev. Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Curtis Blaydes are booked in a matchup between No. 5 and No. 7. Along with those two matchups confirmed, Alex Pereira vs Josh Hokit is heavily rumored for later this year. Both Petrino and Rakic should be ready for the end of the year, and activity will always help fighters climb their divisions regardless of who they face. It’s still a matchup within the top 10; book it for December in Las Vegas. Reinier De Ridder vs Bogdan Guskov (light heavyweight) De Ridder aces his first test at 205 pounds. Being a former top-five contender at middleweight, a fight within the rankings makes the most sense. Guskov is coming off the worst performance of his career, against Magomed Ankalaev. De Ridder has already beaten Robert Whittaker at middleweight, and guys like Dominick Reyes and Azamat Murzakanov are already booked, so fighting the 11th-ranked LHW in Guskov is one of the only realistic options. After having a chance at the top of the division, Guskov needs to build himself back up. A potential win against a newly ranked contender in De Ridder would be massive for his career momentum after such a dud of a last performance. — Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —