Paramount+ carries the entire card and the main event lands at a genuinely watchable 10:00am AEST on Sunday 23 August. No pay-per-view required this time.

UFC returns to Sacramento for the first time since 2019 with a middleweight main event between number six ranked Anthony Hernandez and number eleven Gregory Rodrigues.

For Australian punters the whole thing streams free with a Paramount+ subscription, main card and prelims included, starting at 7:00am AEST on Sunday 23 August.

UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Rodrigues: The Details

• Event: UFC Fight Night 285
• Main event: Anthony Hernandez v Gregory Rodrigues, middleweight
• Co-main: Serghei Spivac v Vitor Petrino, heavyweight
• Venue: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
• Date: Saturday 22 August 2026 in the US, Sunday 23 August in Australia
• Prelims: 7:00am AEST Sunday 23 August
• Main card: 10:00am AEST Sunday 23 August

It's the promotion's first trip back to the California capital in more than seven years, and it lands as something close to a home game for Hernandez, who fights out of nearby Dunnigan.

How to Watch UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Rodrigues in Australia

This one's simpler than a numbered event. UFC Fight Nights carry no pay-per-view component in Australia, so there's no Main Event purchase to make and no Kayo or Foxtel subscription required.

Since the start of 2026, every UFC Fight Night, main card and prelims both, streams exclusively through Paramount+ as part of the regular subscription.

That's a genuine change from the old model, where Fight Nights sat behind ESPN. If you're used to hunting down Foxtel or Kayo for your UFC fix, this one's a Paramount+ subscription and nothing else.

Early prelims, when the promotion schedules them, sit on Paramount+ and UFC Fight Pass as a bonus for the completionists.

Start Times Across Australia

Australia is off daylight saving in August, so these conversions hold across the whole card.

Prelims:

• AEST (NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT, TAS): 7:00am Sunday 23 August
• ACST (SA, NT): 6:30am Sunday 23 August
• AWST (WA): 5:00am Sunday 23 August

Main card:

• AEST: 10:00am Sunday 23 August
• ACST: 9:30am Sunday 23 August
• AWST: 8:00am Sunday 23 August

That's about as friendly as UFC scheduling gets for the east coast. Perth punters are up early, but everyone else can watch the whole card with a Sunday morning coffee rather than staying up late or setting an alarm.

What's at Stake in Sacramento

Hernandez arrives off the first real setback of his career resurgence. He'd strung together eight straight wins, including finishes over Roman Dolidze and a decision over Brendan Allen, before Sean Strickland stopped him in the third round back in February.

Strickland has since claimed the middleweight title, which puts an odd shine on that loss. Hernandez didn't just lose to a good fighter, he lost to the man now wearing the belt. A clean win over Rodrigues puts him straight back into that conversation.

Rodrigues is the form fighter here. Three straight wins, all finishes or clear decisions, capped by a first round knockout of Brunno Ferreira in March that avenged an old loss.

He's building a case that his hands are as dangerous as anyone's just outside the top ten, and a win in Sacramento gets him there.

The co-main carries its own weight. Spivac, ranked sixth at heavyweight, has bounced back from a rough patch with a decision win in February and now meets the rangy, in-form Petrino.

Reinier de Ridder's continued move up to light heavyweight against Roman Dolidze rounds out the top of the card.

UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Rodrigues Fight Card

Main card, Paramount+:

• Anthony Hernandez v Gregory Rodrigues, middleweight
• Serghei Spivac v Vitor Petrino, heavyweight
• Reinier de Ridder v Roman Dolidze, light heavyweight
• Mason Jones v MarQuel Mederos, lightweight
• Carli Judice v Jeisla Chaves, women's flyweight
• Anthony Wint v Terrance Chatman, heavyweight

Prelims, Paramount+:

• Jamall Emmers v Lerryan Douglas, featherweight
• Kennedy Nzechukwu v Shamil Gaziev, heavyweight
• Jackson McVey v Wesley Schultz, middleweight
• Gauge Young v Stan Dorsainvil, lightweight
• Shanelle Dyer v Elise Reed, strawweight

Bout order and matchups can shift during fight week, so check the card again closer to Saturday.

UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Rodrigues Betting Markets

For the latest UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Rodrigues odds and markets, check out our dedicated UFC odds page here at Sportsbet.

Method of victory is the market worth building a view around in the main event. Hernandez's game is volume wrestling and a gas tank that wears opponents down across three rounds, while Rodrigues carries genuine one-punch power and a finish rate that dwarfs most of the division.

That kind of contrast usually points a fight one way rather than to the scorecards.

Round betting follows the same logic. If Hernandez gets this to the mat early and often, it's a longer night for Rodrigues.

If Rodrigues finds his range on the feet, this one might not make it out of the first or second round.

The co-main between Spivac and Petrino suits totals and method markets too, given the size and finishing ability sitting on both sides of that heavyweight matchup.

UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Rodrigues FAQ

How can I watch UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Rodrigues in Australia?

Paramount+ carries the entire event live, main card and prelims, as part of a standard subscription. There's no pay-per-view and no Kayo or Foxtel requirement for this one.

What time does the main card start in Australia?

10:00am AEST on Sunday 23 August 2026. That's 9:30am in Adelaide and Darwin, and 8:00am in Perth.

Who is headlining UFC Fight Night in Sacramento?

Anthony Hernandez faces Gregory Rodrigues in a middleweight main event, with Serghei Spivac and Vitor Petrino meeting at heavyweight in the co-main.

Is this a numbered UFC event?

No. This is a Fight Night, officially UFC Fight Night 285, which is why it streams free on Paramount+ rather than requiring a separate pay-per-view purchase.

Has UFC fought in Sacramento before?

Yes, most recently in 2019. This card marks the promotion's first return to the city in more than seven years.