Rafa Garcia and Alexander Hernandez meet on the UFC Fight Night 274 main card Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Last event’s results: 3-2
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UFC main cards, 2026: 36-19
Rafa Garcia vs. Alexander Hernandez UFC Fight Night 274 preview
Garcia (18-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) will look to make it three in a row for the first time during his UFC run. Last year, he won a unanimous decision over Vinc Pichel, followed by a third-round finish of Jared Gordon.
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Hernandez (18-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) returns to action after a betting scandal caused a January cancellation against Michael Johnson. He comes into this fight on a four-fight winning streak, which includes back-to-back finishes of Chase Hooper and Diego Ferreira.
Rafa Garcia vs. Alexander Hernandez UFC Fight Night 274 expert pick, prediction
Filling out the main card is a lightweight matchup between Rafa Garcia and Alexander Hernandez.
Garcia is coming off one of his more impressive on-paper wins (albeit against a fighter in Gerald Gordon who got hit by a car the day prior), while Hernandez is riding the momentum of a four-fight winning streak.
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Although Hernandez is usually a fighter I look to fade, his recent resurgence and the reasons behind it have earned my respect for his position. In fact, I’m actually surprised he’s not a larger favorite here.
Don’t get me wrong: Garcia is a tough, well-rounded grinder who I’m glad is finally getting some respect from the betting market. I just don’t believe that Garcia has persistent enough pressure or firepower to put the proper scare into Hernandez.
Add in Garcia’s suspect resume and the fact that he wears damage poorly, and I can’t help but back Hernandez to roll in this spot.
The pick is Hernandez by knockout in Round 2.
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Rafa Garcia vs. Alexander Hernandez UFC Fight Night 274 odds
The oddsmakers and the public slightly favor the American fighter, listing Hernandez -130 and Garcia +106 via FanDuel.
Rafa Garcia vs. Alexander Hernandez UFC Fight Night 274 start time, how to watch
Garcia and Hernandez are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:40 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 116: Rafa Garcia vs. Alexander Hernandez prediction, pick, time
