This weekend's UFC Vegas 99 might be slipping under the radar to some degree but that is unlikely to be the case once the strikes start flying in the headliner.
Ranked middleweights Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira are booked to go five rounds inside the Octagon for the first time in both men's careers.
They've both produced a run of emphatic finishes and though Hernandez is an exciting fighter himself, he told MMA Fighting that he's been looking forward to the fight ever since Pereira's name landed at his table.
"Dude, yeah. They're like, 'You're fighting him,' and I'm like, 'Oh the wild guy?! The guy who does backflips?!' Because I really watch f****** fighting that much but I knew who he was because that m***********, he's dope to watch, I'm not gonna lie. He does f****** backflips and s*** like bro, I can't do none of that s***!"
When Pereira first entered the UFC, he quickly became a major talking point because of wild techniques, from backflips to capoeira kicks to jumping off the cage.
He's toned that down over the years and when combined with a move up to middleweight, it's made him significantly more effective.
Hernandez, on the other hand, isn't the most flashy martial artist but he's a real fighter's fighter with excellent cardio, heart and finishing technique.
"But no, I'm f****** stoked." Hernandez told Mike Heck. "This is like one of those fights where I see fight of the night all over it, you know what I mean? Because we're both some tough m************, we both can take a shot and we're both f****** pretty violent, you know what I mean. I'm stoked for this fight, it's gonna be a big test and I'm looking forward to showing you guys how I do that s***."
The simple breakdown of the style match-up would point to Pereira having the advantage early on with his explosive striking and Hernandez looking to take the fight into deep waters which is where he tends to excel.
This is the way that "Fluffy" sees it as he looks to try and push the Brazilian to the limit in order to extend his winning streak to six.
"Man, I think my style is perfect to beat him. I just have to have my hands up and not get caught with some crazy s***. He's wild, he's calmed down a lot like you said. I've noticed he's knocked last two 185'ers out with just two straight rights. So I don't plan on standing in front of him in the distance, I plan on fighting this m***********, taking it to him. I know that he has a wild, crazy two rounds but I'm in shape for like 10."
Watch the full interview below:
