Anthony Hernandez vs. Gregory Rodriguez elevated to UFC OKC co-main event

Anthony Hernandez and Gregory Rodriguez have been elevated to the co-main event slot at UFC Oklahoma City, scheduled for July 18, after the original co-main event pairing of Charles Jourdain and Marlon Vera was moved to a separate card.

Hernandez, nicknamed "Fluffy," enters the bout ranked third in the middleweight division. The 32-year-old American trains out of MMA Gold Fight Team and carries a 15-3-0 professional record. He is a well-rounded threat, averaging 5.88 takedowns per 15 minutes and landing significant strikes at a 60 percent accuracy rate — one of the sharper marks in the division.

Rodriguez's verified data was not included in the fighter information available, though the matchup now anchors what is a stacked UFC OKC lineup alongside Cannonier vs. Duncan and Holland vs. Smith, with a five-round contest headlining the card.

Jourdain and Vera, who were originally slotted into the co-main position, will meet on a different date. Jourdain, a 30-year-old Canadian switch-stance featherweight with an 18-8-1 record, averages a high-volume 5.48 significant strikes per minute. Vera, the 33-year-old Ecuadorian known as "Chito," is ranked seventh in the bantamweight division and holds a 23-12-1 record, landing strikes at 4.18 per minute across a lengthy UFC career.

Why it matters

• Hernandez is ranked third at middleweight, meaning a strong performance against Rodriguez could push him toward title contention
• The reshuffled card now places three marquee matchups beneath a five-round main event, raising the overall stakes of UFC OKC
• The Jourdain-Vera bout retains its own significance for the featherweight and bantamweight pictures whenever it is rescheduled