For the first time in more than four years, Toyota Center will host a UFC card. UFC Houston marks the 10th time the promotion has set foot in the Rockets’ hometown. Live coverage of UFC Houston begins at 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT on ParamountPlus with the preliminary rounds.
The main card action follows at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on the streaming platform. If no adjustments need to be made in the final days before the card, Saturday’s schedule will feature 13 fights.
UFC Houston Main Event: No. 3 Contender Sean Strickland vs. No. 4 contender Anthony Hernandez
At the top of the bill on Saturday evening, the middleweights make the walk to the legendary Octagon. No. No. 3 contender Sean Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) clashes with No. 4 contender Anthony Hernandez (15-2, 1 NC MMA, 9-2 UFC). headliner is an advertised maximum of five rounds of five minutes per round to close the show.
Sean Strickland comes to UFC Houston on Saturday night after posting a 3-2 record in his last five trips to the cage. However, it comes after a 54-week hiatus. On February 8, 2025, Strickland lost by unanimous decision to Dricus du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC).
While the focus during fight week should be on the fight itself, Strickland came under fire Wednesday for making a number of off-color comments, including profanity directed at Bad Bunny, the Super Bowl LX halftime headliner. As the countdown to the fight continues, it’s time for Strickland to hunker down and focus on his opponent, rather than the world at large.
Meanwhile, Anthony Hernandez makes the move this weekend with a 5-0 record in his last five fights. All told, “Fluffy” is currently on an eight-fight winning streak.
Last time out, he scored a fourth-round submission against Roman Dolidze (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC). A planned match in Vancouver in October between Hernandez and Reinier de Ridder never got off the ground because the former suffered an injury.
When a fighter is on edge, as Anthony Hernandez is right now, he or she is almost impossible to control. A win here would put Hernandez within shouting distance of the UFC Middleweight Championship.
UFC Houston Co-Main Event: No. 12 contender Geoff Neal vs. Uros Medic
Immediately preceding the headlining affair, the evening’s co-main attraction features action at 170 lbs. No. 12 contender Geoff Neal (16-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) takes on Uros Medic (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC). This is a three-round fight of five minutes per round.
Neal enters the weekend having gone 2-3 in his last five fights. On August 16, in a rescheduled fight from April of last year, he lost by first-round knockout (spinning back elbow) to Carlos Prates (23-7 MMA, 6-1 UFC) at UFC 319 in Chicago.
This is a crucial fight for Geoff Neal and his camp. If he loses in Houston on Saturday night, his spot in the top 15 at welterweight could be gone.
On the other side, Uros Medic has posted a 3-2 record in his past five fights. He has won two matches in a row, before UFC Houston.
Most recently, it took him just one minute and three seconds to finish Muslim Salikhov (22-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) with hits. There are some high stakes for Medic going into Saturday’s co-main event, and a ranking spot could await him on Monday morning provided he wins again.
UFC Houston: No. 14 contender Dan Ige vs. Melquizael Costa
Also on the UFC Houston main card, the featherweights battle as No. 14 contender Dan Ige (19-10 MMA, 11-9 UFC) makes his 30th appearance as a professional against Melquizael Costa (25-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC). Ige has posted a 2-3 mark in his last five appearances.
In July, he dropped a unanimous decision to Patricio Pitbull (37-8 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in his second fight in the promotion. Ige is hovering around .500 in the promotion and could use a win in the twilight of his career. Could UFC Houston be the spark he needs? Only time will tell.
In the other corner, Melquizael Costa has remained undefeated in his last five matches with a 5-0 record. He faces a quick turnaround in Saturday’s fight. On December 13, at the last UFC Fight Night on ESPN, he stopped Morgan Charriere (21-12-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC) with a head kick in 74 seconds.
By the time the card starts on Saturday, only 70 days will have passed between fights for Costa? Can he go 6-for-6 this weekend?
Rest of the map
The UFC Houston main card is supplemented with these matches:
- a heavyweight bout between No. 7 contender Serghei Spivac (17-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) and No. 9 contender Ante Delija (26-7 MMA, 1-1) in a rebooking of a postponed Jan. 31 bout,
- a welterweight bout pitting Jacobe Smith (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) against Josiah Harrell (11-0 MMA, UFC promotional debut)
- and a middleweight bout featuring Zach Reese (10-2, 1 NC MMA, 4-2, 1 NC UFC) against Michel Pereira (31-14, 2 NC MMA, 9-5 UFC.)
What fights are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments.
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