Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira meet Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 245 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-3
UFC main cards, 2024: 87-77-3

Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 245 preview

Hernandez (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) enters his first UFC main event on a five-fight winning streak. He has finished three straight opponents: Marc-Andre Barriault and Edmen Shahbazyan in the third round, and Roman Kopylov in Round 2. Hernandez has also taken home two Performance of the Night bonuses on his current streak. … Pereira (31-11 MMA, 9-2 UFC) also enters on a hot streak as a winner of his last eight, including three consecutive stoppages after moving up to middleweight. He has also taken home five POTN bonuses during his winning streak.

Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 245 expert pick, prediction

The main event in Las Vegas features a matchup of middleweight contenders, Hernandez and Pereira.

Despite dealing with a slew of injury withdrawals for the past few years, Hernandez has established himself as a real force at 185 pounds. Whereas Pereira, who is riding the momentum of a 7-fight winning streak, has looked to be in top form since moving up from welterweight.

Although the stylistic dynamic slightly favors Hernandez’s relentless wrestling attacks (especially inside the smaller octagon of the Apex), Pereira will be incredibly dangerous early.

Aside from the fact that Pereira carries knockout power in his hands, the Brazilian is also good about going to the body – which appears to be kryptonite to Hernandez.

That said, we still haven’t seen Pereira’s suspect gas tank tested in some time, so I’m curious how “Demolidor” will deal with Hernandez’s Dagestani spin cycle of positional rides and attacks on the floor.

A Pereira win wouldn’t shock me, but I’ll officially side with Hernandez to survive the initial storms and pull away down the stretch for a submission win in Round 3.

Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 245 odds

The oddsmakers and the public heavily favor the Uzbek fighter, listing Temirov -325 and Vergara +250 via FanDuel.

Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira UFC Fight Night 245 start time, how to watch

As the main event, Hernandez and Pereira are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:05 p.m. ET (6:05 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

Rob Font and Kyler Phillips meet Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 245 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-3
UFC main cards, 2024: 87-77-3

Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips UFC Fight Night 245 preview

Font (20-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) enters this co-feature bout hunting for his first victory since last April, which was a first-round finish of Adrian Yanez at UFC 287. He went on to lose back-to-back fights against former interim title challenger Cory Sandhagen and former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. … Phillips (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) comes in as a winner of three straight. His last appearance was a unanimous decision win against Pedro Munhoz, which followed wins over Raoni Barcelos and Marcelo Rojo.

Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips UFC Fight Night 245 expert pick, prediction

The co-main event in the Apex features a banger at bantamweight between Font and Phillips.

Looking to hold the proverbial door of his Top 10 ranking, Font finds himself riding the wrong end of a two-fight losing skid.

Whereas Phillips, who looks like the Latino version of Brad Pitt from “Legends of the Fall,” has quietly been rising the ranks since his lone UFC loss to Raulian Paiva in 2021.

Even though the smaller octagon should favor Font given that it will give Phillips less terrain to work with, I still suspect that this will be an annoying matchup for the New England native.

Not only has Phillips proven that he still moves effectively in the smaller cage, but the MMA Lab product’s all the way in, all the way out approach could be problematic for Font – especially if Phillips mixes in takedowns.

I wish this were scheduled for five rounds so we could see Philiips’ somewhat suspect gas tank tested, but I believe that his volume and variety will be enough to pick up at least two frames in the judges’ eyes.

The official pick is Phillips by unanimous decision.

Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips UFC Fight Night 245 odds

The oddsmakers and public heavily favor the younger fighter, listing Phillips -450 and Font +330 via FanDuel.

Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips UFC Fight Night 245 start time, how to watch

As the co-main event, Font and Phillips are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:35 p.m. ET (5:35 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

Jake Hadley and Cameron Smotherman meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 245 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-3
UFC main cards, 2024: 87-77-3

Jake Hadley vs. Cameron Smotherman UFC Fight Night 245 preview

Hadley (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) gets a late opponent change in a key spot as he looks to stay above .500 in the UFC. In his last outing, Hadley won a unanimous decision over Caolan Loughran, although a weight miss tainted it. This will be Hadley’s third fight of 2024. … Smotherman (11-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his UFC debut on very short notice. After being stopped on Dana White’s Contender Series last August, Smotherman has picked up three straight wins under Fury’s banner.

Jake Hadley vs. Cameron Smotherman UFC Fight Night 245 expert pick, prediction

Serving as an impromptu bout at bantamweight is a fight between Hadley and Smotherman.

Hadley was initially slated to face Brady Hiestand, who was forced to withdraw from the contest.

Smotherman, who was last seen in the Apex in a DWCS loss to Charalampos Grigoriou, is getting the short-notice call based on the strength of his current three-fight winning streak.

Smotherman can produce some fun moments if given the chance, but it’s hard to like said chances on this short of notice opposite a southpaw like Hadley.

Not only is Hadley a submission stud on the floor, but the Englishman can work at a high pace and loves to work the body (which I see being particularly effective in this contest).

The pick is Hadley to produce a stoppage by strikes in Round 2.

Jake Hadley vs. Cameron Smotherman UFC Fight Night 245 odds

The oddsmakers and the public favor the English fighter, listing Hadley -550 and Smotherman +390 via FanDuel.

Jake Hadley vs. Cameron Smotherman UFC Fight Night 245 start time, how to watch

Hadley and Smotherman are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 7:35 p.m. ET (4:35 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

Darren Elkins and Daniel Pineda meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 245 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-3
UFC main cards, 2024: 87-77-3

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Fight Night 245 preview

Elkins (28-11 MMA, 18-10 UFC) has traded wins and losses over his last four fights, and enters his first fight in a year after a third-round submission win over TJ Brown.  The 40-year-old grizzled veteran last put together back-to-back wins when he finished Eduardo Garagorri in November 2020 and Darrick Minner in July 2021. … Pineda (28-16 MMA, 5-7 UFC) has dropped back-to-back fights against Nathaniel Wood and Alex Caceres. The 39-year-old’s last victory was a second-round submission of Tucker Lutz last March.

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Fight Night 245 expert pick, prediction

Kicking off the main card is a proper featherweight action between Elkins and Pineda that would make Joe Silva proud.

Elkins, who reminds me of the Matt Damon doll in “Team America,” is a fan favorite to all for the blood and guts wars he’s graced us with.

And though he’s not as popular as a name, Pineda deserves similar distinctions due to his fan-friendly style of prioritizing finishes over winning rounds.

Both men are toward the tail end of their careers given their age, yet each fights with the fervor of a 20-year-old trying to prove their manhood.

But that aside, the dynamic of this fight is fairly clear: either Pineda will finish his foe early, or Elkins will come on strong to drag things out late.

Despite tending to side with the latter part of that equation, I find myself liking the Pineda side in this spot.

Not only is Pineda’s striking too potent to overlook opposite an aging Elkins, but “The Pit” is quietly one of the most dangerous submission grapplers in that division – so don’t be surprised to see a submission win this Saturday.

The pick is Pineda to score a club-and-sub win via guillotine in Round 2.

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Fight Night 245 odds

Although the oddsmakers opened the slightly younger fighter as a slight favorite, public money pushed this contest to pick’em odds, listing Pineda -106 and Elkins -114 via FanDuel.

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Fight Night 245 start time, how to watch

As the main card opener, Elkins and Pineda are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 7:05 p.m. ET (4:05 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.