UFC Vegas 109 takes place on Saturday with the organisation showing its second consecutive event at the APEX.
A week before the anticipated PPV event, which features the Middleweight Title bout between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.
It just so happens that the headliner of this event features two ranked 185-pound fighters.
Both are on impressive winning streaks, putting a lot at risk as they continue their path to a championship opportunity.
Hernandez is unbeaten in seven fights
Arguably seen as underrated, Anthony Hernandez has been on a roll at Middleweight.
The Californian’s successful run began at UFC 258 when he submitted Rodolfo Vieira with a Guillotine Choke.
‘Fluffy’ then secured a decision win against Josh Fremd at UFC 273, before submitting Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Vegas 60.
Hernandez’s first KO/TKO win came around when he went toe-to-toe with Edmen Shahbazyan, stopping him in the third round.
The Dunnigan-born fighter maintained his position in the 185-pound rankings after submitting Roman Kopylov at UFC 298.
After appearing in eight UFC events, Hernandez became the headliner at UFC Vegas 99, stopping Michel Pereira by fifth-round TKO.
The 31-year-old then increased his impressive streak to seven after going the distance with Brendan Allen, winning by unanimous decision at UFC Seattle.
While he still seems far away from title contention, he may get a shot at the opportunity if he conquers his Georgian opponent.
Dolidze continues his redemption arc
After a four-fight win streak with three consecutive KO/TKO wins, it looked confident that Roman Dolidze would be a future title challenger.
That delayed the possible outcome when he faced Marvin Vettori at UFC 286, losing by unanimous decision.
Over 10 months later, the Batumi-born fighter suffered another loss, this time to Nassourdine Imavov by majority decision at UFC Vegas 85.
With such a downfall, the Georgian pulled a brave move by stepping in on short notice to face Anthony Smith at UFC 303.
In a Light Heavyweight bout, Dolidze took the glory, winning by unanimous decision.
The 37-year-old moved back down to Middleweight at UFC 307, defeating Kevin Holland by first-round TKO.
The #9 contender faced Vettori in a rematch at UFC Vegas 104, avenging one of his losses to win by unanimous decision.
Now on a three-fight winning streak, Dolidze aims to get a very credible win before a potential top-five opponent in his next battle.
The UFC Vegas 109 fight card
Main Card
Main Event: Roman Dolidze vs Anthony Hernandez – Middleweight Bout
Co-Main Event: Steve Erceg vs Ode Osbourne – Flyweight Bout
Iasmin Lucindo vs Angela Hill – Women’s Strawweight Bout
Andre Fili vs Christian Rodriguez – Featherweight Bout
Miles Johns vs Jean Matsumoto – Bantamweight Bout
Eryk Anders vs Christian Leroy Duncan – Middleweight Bout
Preliminary Card
Julius Walker vs Raffael Cerqueira – Light Heavyweight Bout
Elijah Smith vs Toshiomi Kazama – Bantamweight Bout
Joselyne Edwards vs Priscila Cachoeira – Women’s Bantamweight Bout
Uros Medic vs Gilbert Urbina – Welterweight Bout
Gabriella Fernandes vs Julija Stoliarenko – Women’s Flyweight Bout
Cody Brundage vs Eric McConico – Light Heavyweight Bout