UFC Houston Pre-Event Facts: Middleweight Finisher Battles Hardened Former Champion

The famous Toyota Center in Texas becomes the epicenter of top-level mixed martial arts this Saturday for UFC Houston. Following a brief break in the promotion’s busy fight night schedule, the action continues in the Lone Star State. 

In the UFC Houston main event, former middleweight champion Sean Strickland aims to get back on track towards his previous strap by halting the advance of the relentless Anthony Hernandez. 

In the penultimate matchup of the night at UFC Houston, welterweight luminary Geoff Neal encounters one of the hottest prospects in the weight class Uroš Medić.

 

These are the most interesting pre-event tidbits about the main card of UFC Houston:

UFC Houston: Zachary Reese vs. Michel Pereira

Zachary Reese

Reese is currently on a two-fight winning streak dating back to May 2025, with victories over Duško Todorović and Jackson McVey. Eight of his 10 wins as a professional have come by way of stoppage, including five knockouts. 

He has been a part of the UFC roster since 2023 after earning his contract on the Contender Series that same year. 

Michel Pereira

Pereira is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, having taken up the discipline at 16 years old. He has won seven post-fight awards, which include five Performance of the Night bonuses. 

He has won 11 of his 31 victories by knockout. He is the most veteran athlete fighting at the event with 45 total contests under his belt. 

UFC Houston: Jacobe Smith vs. Josiah Harrell

Jacobe Smith

Smith is undefeated as a professional at 11-0. He trains out of Fortis MMA, which boasts a lineup of talented competitors like Geoff Neal and Brandon Moreno. He has won his last five bouts by finish, with three of those ending in the first round 

Josiah Harrell

Harrell is also undefeated at 11-0. He additionally had never lost before as an amateur as well, racking up a pre-professional record of 5-0-1. All but one of those 11 wins have stemmed from a stoppage. 

He most recently competed at LFA 224 back in January, snagging a victory over Bekmyrza Dosmatov.

UFC Houston: Serghei Spivac vs. Ante Delija

Serghei Spivac

Spivac is coming off of two straight defeats, losing to Jailton Almeida and Waldo Cortes-Acosta both in 2025. His appearance at UFC Houston marks the first time he has fought on a non-numbered card since August 2024.

He holds notable wins over Augusto Sakai, Derrick Lewis and Marcin Tybura. 

Ante Delija

He is coming off the first setback of his UFC tenure against Waldo Cortes-Acosta. He had formerly rode a two-bout win streak. He is a previous PFL heavyweight tournament winner, garnering triumphs over Denis Goltsov and Renan Ferreira.

19 of his 26 wins as a professional have ended via finish. 

UFC Houston: Dan Ige vs. Melquizael Costa

Dan Ige

Ige is coming off of a loss to Patrício Pitbull in his last outing of 2025 at UFC 318. He is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

His UFC record stands at 11-9.

Melquizael Costa

Costa is in the midst of a five-fight winning streak, which includes stoppage victories over Andre Fili and Morgan Charrière. He notably handed the latter the first knockout loss of his 34-bout professional career. 

He has not lost a match since his meeting with Steve Garcia back in 2023, with that clash being contested at lightweight. 

UFC Houston: Geoff Neal vs. Uroš Medić

Geoff Neal

Neal has not stepped into the Octagon since his battle with Carlos Prates at UFC 319. His bout with Medić marks the second time he has fought an unranked opponent since his trouncing of Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 308 in 2024.

He has won 10 times as professional by knockout. 

Uroš Medić

Medic is a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as well as an orange belt in Judo. He has won two Performance of the Night awards during his time in the UFC.

He possesses a 100 percent stoppage rate, which includes 10 wins by strikes and two by submission. 

UFC Houston: Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez

Sean Strickland

Strickland trains out of Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts, which has trained competitors like Jiri Prochazka, Magomed Ankalaev and Francis Ngannou. He is a former 185-lb titleholder, gaining the championship after dethroning Israel Adesanya in 2023.

14 of his 29 professional victories have come by way of decision. He is a Brazilian-Jiu-Jitsu black belt.

Anthony Hernandez

Hernandez is a previous LFA middleweight champion. He has landed the most takedowns in UFC middleweight history with 54.

He holds the second highest significant strike accuracy percentage in UFC middleweight division history at 62.8 percent. He has won 9 of his 15 victories as a professional by submission.