UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez

The UFC is back at the Las Vegas APEX next weekend. The second weekend of August will see another Fight Night card, this time with a middleweight headliner.

UFC Fight Night: Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez does not feature too many big names, but it should at least produce some fun bouts.

Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez.

---

#1. UFC middleweight bout: Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez

Next week's headline bout will see two top 10-ranked middleweights do battle, as No. 9-ranked Roman Dolidze faces No. 10-ranked Anthony Hernandez.

Both of these men are on strong win streaks. Dolidze has won his last three, and most recently knocked off former title challenger Marvin Vettori.

Hernandez, meanwhile, has won his last seven in a row, last defeating Brendan Allen. So can 'Fluffy' once again upset the odds and pull off a big win over Dolidze?

Hernandez is an interesting fighter, as he's not exactly the most athletically gifted middleweight, but he makes his skills work for him. At his best, he loves to drag his foes into gutter-wars on the ground, and tends to outlast them with excellent cardio, toughness and an underrated positional awareness.

'Fluffy' isn't the best striker on the feet, and also leaves himself open to getting hit at times. However, he is very durable and has only been knocked down once in his UFC career, in his loss to Kevin Holland.

Dolidze will be an interesting foe for him, though. The Georgian is a naturally gifted athlete, and that has meant that he's been able to develop seriously nasty knockout power to go along with his excellent grappling skills.

His knockouts of Phil Hawes and Jack Hermansson were terrifying, and against Vettori, he demonstrated that his power could carry over five rounds, and he also outlanded the Italian in terms of volume.

Essentially, this fight should come down to whether Hernandez can work Dolidze hard enough in the early rounds that he tires in the later ones, allowing 'Fluffy' to take over.

That won't be easy, though. Unlike Michel Pereira - who always had a tendency to gas out - Dolidze has gone five rounds before, and he's also a very experienced grappler.

Add in the fact that 'The Caucasian' is probably going to be the hardest hitter that Hernandez has ever faced, and 'Fluffy' could be in trouble here.

Hernandez can't be counted out of any fight, and there's definitely a chance that he could produce another upset in this one. However, it feels more likely that Dolidze is just too powerful for him.

The Pick: Dolidze via fourth-round TKO

---

#2. UFC bantamweight bout: Steve Erceg vs. Ode Osbourne

Initially, this co-headliner would've seen former title challenger Steve Erceg taking on Alex Perez. When Perez was then sidelined, Park Hyun Sung was instead pegged to take the spot.

However, this week has seen another change. With Park now fighting in this weekend's headliner, veteran Ode Osbourne will instead step in to fight 'Astro Boy', albeit in a bantamweight fight.

Essentially, then, this should be a no-risk fight for both men, which is probably good for Erceg in particular. After reeling off three straight wins to start his Octagon career, he'll come into this fight on a three-fight losing streak.

Sure, the Aussie has lost to Alexandre Pantoja, Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno - three of the best flyweights in the world - but any fighter on a four-fight losing streak could be in trouble.

A loss on late notice at a heavier weight class, though, shouldn't be too damaging if it happens. So will it?

Erceg made a name for himself at flyweight with his crisp boxing game and even took Pantoja to the limit in their fight.

However, the truth is that he was probably pushed a little too quickly and should've been allowed to face lesser foes after losing to 'The Cannibal'.

If Osbourne were a flyweight, then he'd probably be the perfect foe for Erceg right now. He's exciting to watch and always brings action to the octagon, but 'The Jamaican Sensation' is also not that durable and tends to leave himself open.

The big question here, then, is how in shape he is for this fight. Because he'll be the naturally bigger man - and packs power - then Erceg could be in danger, especially as Kara-France cracked his chin.

If Osbourne is out of shape, though, then 'Astro Boy' may be able to use his speed to gas the Jamaican out and pick him apart over three rounds.

However, Osbourne is not the slowest 135-pounder by any means, and in fact, he is very explosive at points. Having said that, it's also worth noting that he's never beaten anyone as good as Erceg before, and the late notice could definitely affect him.

With all this considered, then, the pick - albeit a risky one - is Erceg.

The Pick: Erceg via decision

---

#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card

In a strawweight bout, veteran Angela Hill faces Iasmin Lucindo. While these two aren't the biggest names, they are both ranked in the top fifteen, with Hill at No.12 and Lucindo at No.8.

So can 'Overkill' spring what would be a mild upset in ranking terms? The TUF veteran has now been around for over a decade, and she's now evolved into a dangerous fighter with solid kickboxing and an improved ground game, although her wrestling is still lacking.

Lucindo is actually similar in many ways, right down to the overall lack of power in her strikes despite her skills. This one could come down to how the stand-up goes, especially as Hill isn't likely to look to stifle as Amanda Lemos did to beat Lucindo in her last fight.

Realistically, it could go either way, but it feels more likely that the young gun will win. The pick is Lucindo via decision.

At featherweight, Andre Fili takes on Christian Rodriguez. Like most fights involving Fili, we can probably anticipate a brawl of sorts here. The big question is whether Fili can cope with that kind of fight against a younger foe anymore.

'Touchy' has been alternating wins and losses dating back to 2020 now, but it's noticeable that he isn't as durable as he was in his prime. Rodriguez has shown himself to be more of a bullying fighter in his UFC run, and while he can also crack, it's likely he'll try to physically dominate Fili here.

If this fight were taking place in, say, 2017, Fili would be a good pick. At this stage, though, it's hard to trust him against a younger foe, especially one as physical as 'CeeRod'. The pick is Rodriguez via decision.

In a bantamweight clash, Miles Johns takes on Jean Matsumoto. This is a curious piece of matchmaking. With an underrated record and solid all-round skills, Johns would probably have more hype around him were it not for a couple of positive drug tests.

Matsumoto, meanwhile, looked excellent in his opening two octagon bouts, only to fall short in a late-notice clash with a much higher-rated foe in Rob Font.

With neither man possessing any true weaknesses, this one could honestly go either way. However, it is worth noting that Johns' only recent loss came at 145 pounds, and at 135 pounds, he's a remarkably quick fighter, something that could give him an advantage here. The pick, then, is Johns via decision.

Finally, veteran middleweight Eryk Anders takes on Christian Leroy Duncan. Anders is actually coming into this fight on a two-bout win streak, but realistically, at the age of 38 he's past his prime now and one of those wins came over a shot Chris Weidman.

Duncan, meanwhile, has largely looked strong in his octagon run, winning three of his last four, two by TKO. Against an ageing opponent like Anders, that will probably be enough. The pick is Duncan via TKO.

---

#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims

Picks in bold

UFC light-heavyweight bout: Julius Walker vs. Raffael Cerqueira

UFC bantamweight bout: Elijah Smith vs. Toshiomi Kazama

UFC bantamweight bout: Joselyne Edwards vs. Priscila Cachoeira

UFC flyweight bout: Gabriella Fernandes vs. Julija Stoliarenko

UFC welterweight bout: Gilbert Urbina vs. Uros Medic