5 things to watch out for at UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira

This weekend sees the UFC head back to the Las Vegas APEX. This event will be the final Fight Night of October, preceding next weekend's big pay-per-view.

UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira is a little short on name value, but it does feature a number of exciting fights that should be fun.

Of course, there are a number of things that fans should keep an eye out for this weekend, making this event a watchable one.

Here, then, are five things to watch out for at UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira.

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#5. Can Robelis Despaigne regain his hype?

This weekend's opening bout will see heavyweights Austen Lane and Robelis Despaigne square off in one of the night's more intriguing fights.

What makes this fight so intriguing is the fact that just six months ago, Despaigne was one of the more highly touted prospects in the UFC.

An Olympic bronze medallist in taekwondo, the Cuban needed just eighteen seconds to dispatch Josh Parisian in his octagon debut in March. The win saw him display slick striking skills that belied an athlete of his huge size.

However, two months later, he suffered a bad loss at the hands of Waldo Cortes-Acosta, having basically no answer for the takedowns of 'Salsa Boy'.

It was painfully clear that he'd need serious work to reach the top, and realistically, it's not likely that he will have had the time to round out his skills prior to this weekend.

Despite this, if Despaigne can dispatch Lane with his powerful striking, all of his hype would quickly return, largely due to the thin nature of the heavyweight division.

Can he do it? Lane is far less likely to shoot for takedowns, being primarily a brawler who has already been knocked out twice in the octagon.

Therefore, it feels likely that Despaigne can land another highlight reel knockout - making his fight probably the one preliminary bout worth keeping an eye on.

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#4. Is Asu Almabayev the next big thing at 125 pounds?

With last weekend's flyweight headliner producing one of the best fights of 2024, and champ Alexandre Pantoja's next defense against Kai Asakura announced for December, the spotlight is currently on the UFC's 125 pound division.

This weekend's event will feature two fights in the division, and one will see a notable prospect in action.

Kazakhstan's Asu Almabayev is set to open the main card against Matheus Nicolau, and if he can beat the No.7-ranked flyweight, he should crash into the top 10.

'Zulfikar' is already 3-0 in the octagon, but it's fair to say that Nicolau will be a tougher test than Ode Osbourne, CJ Vergara or Jose Johnson.

However, Almabayev will definitely be confident here. He's a fantastic grappler with excellent takedowns and while Nicolau is dangerous, if the Kazakh can avoid the big shot, he should come out on top.

What he'll really be hoping for, though, is a finish. If he can produce that, not only will he move into the UFC's top ten, but suddenly, he could be seen as the flyweight division's next big thing. That makes this fight well worth keeping a close eye on this Saturday.

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#3. Darren Elkins will be hoping to delay his end game once again

Very few fighters manage to stay afloat in the UFC after more than a decade, but featherweight veteran Darren Elkins is a survivor. 'The Damage' made his octagon debut way back in 2010 and will take on fellow veteran Daniel Pineda in his 28th bout there this weekend.

Elkins has been written off on plenty of occasions over the years, and at times, it's felt like he's been clinging onto his spot on the roster by his fingertips.

He's always managed to turn things around, though, from his wild comeback win over Mirsad Bektic in 2017 to the 2020 win over Luiz Garagorri that saw him snap a four-fight losing streak.

However, Elkins has now gone 2-2 in his last four fights, and hasn't been in action in just over a year. That means he's practically at the crossroads this weekend.

A bad loss to Pineda could well signal the end for him. While he likely wouldn't be cut by the UFC right away, it'd be hard not to see the writing on the wall for the 40-year old.

Essentially, every fight that 'The Damage' takes right now could be his final one, meaning that he probably has more to lose than anyone on this card. Given his penchant for being able to fight his way through seemingly any odds, his bout this weekend will be a must-see affair.

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#2. Kyler Phillips has a chance to step up a level against Rob Font

This weekend's co-headliner will see Kyler Phillips attempt to make the step up to the elite level at 135 pounds when he takes on No.10-ranked Rob Font.

Sure, 'The Matrix' is only ranked two spots below Font, but the fact is that the latter has fought in five-round bouts, has headlined UFC events, and he holds wins over the likes of Cody Garbrandt, Ricky Simon, and Marlon Moraes.

Phillips, meanwhile, is still flying under the radar somewhat despite being 6-1 in the octagon. Quite why this is, given he's beaten both Pedro Munhoz and Song Yadong, is a major question mark.

This weekend is his chance to change that. Sure, Font is 1-4 in his last five bouts, but he's also an excellent gatekeeper. Last time he fought a high-level prospect, in fact, he violently dispatched Adrian Yanez.

A win over the veteran, then, would definitely propel Phillips into the spotlight and would probably shift him into title contention too. He'd probably become seen as the dark horse of the bantamweight division, in fact.

Given his wild striking skills and impressive cardio, 'The Matrix' definitely has a good chance of winning this fight, and making it entertaining, too. Therefore, this bout is definitely one to watch closely.

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#1. Can Michel Pereira's more cerebral approach propel him into UFC title contention?

This weekend's headline fight will see top 15-ranked middleweights Michel Pereira and Anthony Hernandez do battle over five rounds.

While Hernandez is on a strong five-fight winning streak, it's probably fair to say that for most fans, Pereira is the man to watch here.

'Demolidor' has been a must-see attraction since his UFC debut way back in 2019, but in his early days, he was seen in the same light as fighters like Johnny Walker and Tai Tuivasa - fun to watch, but too wild to make it to the very top.

Since switching his style to a more measured approach, though, Pereira has been on fire. He's shown very few weaknesses in his current eight-fight win streak, and a big victory in his first headline bout would really open some eyes.

Right now, the middleweight division feels like it's crying out for some fresh new talent at the top. The likes of Paulo Costa, Jared Cannonier, and even Israel Adesanya are getting no younger.

Adding a fighter as exciting as Pereira into that top-level mix would definitely produce some fascinating potential fights, and could help to freshen the top end of the 185-pound division up.

Therefore, with respect to Hernandez, it'd be good for the UFC to see 'Demolidor' win this weekend, and it's definitely worth tuning in to see if he can pull it off.