Gregory Rodrigues did not cheat at UFC Sacramento.
That’s according to “Robocop,” who was accused of illegal glove grabs by opponent Anthony Hernandez
. Rodrigues was able to defeat “Fluffy” after five rounds of brutal action atop the UFC Sacramento fight card on Paramount+ last weekend in California.If Rodrigues was cheating, surely referee Herb Dean would have said something.
“The fact is that I beat him with leg kicks, I punched him, he didn’t take me down, he didn’t do anything, he put on pressure
and that was good but I didn’t cheat and he knows that,” Rodrigues told Yahoo Sports. “Everyone can say whatever they want, I’m still the same man. I gave a lot of respect to him and I saw his family when I was there, his son was crying in the front row, it’s crazy but that’s the sport. If anything was clear, Herb Dean would’ve said something or everyone would’ve saw it. Sometimes involuntary, my hands grab his gloves but it was nothing that would change the result of the fight.”
Dean is probably not the most reliable witness for the Brazilian’s defense.
That’s because the longtime MMA referee has come under fire in recent months for his failure to intervene during blatant violations — from multiple fighters. While Dean remains the darling of stateside commissions, the number of incidents continue to pile up in the second half of 2026.
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