When Brendan Allen and Anthony Hernandez step into the Octagon for the co-main event at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song in Seattle, Washington, it will mark not only a crucial bout in the middleweight rankings but also a rematch more than seven years in the making.
The two originally squared off on the regional scene in January 2018 under the LFA banner for the promotion’s middleweight belt. At the time, they had a combined 15 professional fights under their belt (Allen was 8-2, and Hernandez was 5-0), and Hernandez hadn’t gone past the first round. Despite the early success, “Fluffy” wasn’t exactly on Allen’s radar, so “All In,” who had gone five rounds with Eryk Anders just six months prior, felt like he had the upper hand.
“I was like, ‘Who is Anthony Hernandez?’” Allen told UFC.com. “No one had heard of him. There wasn't much tape, and all the tape was old, so it was hard to say. I thought I was just going to walk through him. Looking back, I was surprised by how immature I was.”
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Hernandez, on the other hand, wasn’t in the best shape for the fight, either. He answered the call while carrying hand and rib injuries, but he and his team felt like a win over Allen could earn him a spot on Dana White’s Contender Series and then the UFC.
To compensate for his injuries, Hernandez said his training camp mainly just consisted of jogging to get into shape. The weight cut was a “bad” one, but Hernandez knew he just needed to push through anything that came his way.
He almost immediately faced adversity. Even though Allen might have not approached the fight in the best way, he certainly came out of the gates firing.
For the better part of 25 minutes, Hernandez and Allen mostly battled on the mat. Hernandez was able to control Allen in the majority of the exchanges, while Allen, who collected half his professional wins to that point via submission, fished for creative submissions, including several unsuccessful leg locks.
That strategy came much to the chagrin of his corner, which included UFC veteran Gerald Meerschaert. They wanted the young stalwart to get into the dominant positions Hernandez was finding himself in instead. Allen, though, couldn’t get out of his own way as the fight went long.
Although Allen perhaps didn’t give his best effort for all 25 minutes, he stayed alive and dangerous in the fight while Hernandez sought a finishing shot or submission. Hernandez complimented Allen, calling him a “tough mother******” and remembering how much his hands and elbows hurt from striking his young foe.
Ultimately, the judges gave the unanimous nod to Hernandez, who would go on, as he expected, to fight on Dana White’s Contender Series and earn a UFC contract in his next appearance. Although that fight is a milestone for his career, it is a fight and performance Hernandez holds close to his heart, as well.
“That fight, honestly, was my dad's last fight seeing me before he passed,” Hernandez said. “It was f***ing really good to reassure him that my grappling was better because my dad was a wrestler. I personally do not like wrestling. I wanted to be a striker, but it reassured my dad, so it was a good for my heart.”
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Allen would go on to win three straight to earn his own shot on Dana White’s Contender Series the summer after Hernandez. From there, Allen steadily climbed the rankings, amassing a 12-3 record in the Octagon, including wins over Kevin Holland, Paul Craig and André Muniz to enter the Top 10. His seven-fight winning streak was snapped in September when he lost to Nassourdine Imavov, so Allen enters 2025 looking to get back on track.
That’s part of how this rematch was made. The other part of it came from Hernandez going on a tear. After a rocky, 1-2 start in the Octagon, Hernandez has won six fights on the bounce, including five finishes. His most recent effort, a fifth-round TKO against Michel Pereira in his first main event, gave him his third performance bonus and a case to finally break into the Top 10.
Allen and Hernandez, who carry plenty of mutual respect for one another, were never certain that their paths would cross again and have spent the intervening years hoping the best for one another.
“I'm always rooting for him, always wishing (him) the best of luck,” Allen said. “I like to see his career go good. It’s always nice when you fight someone, win or lose to them, to see their career do good. That’s what you hope, especially when it's a good person like Anthony. I followed him, (and) I’m super happy for him. I think he earned the fight up, and that's what you get on Saturday.”
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The middleweight division is in the midst of a major shake-up in February. It opened with Imavov’s staggering knockout win over Israel Adesanya, followed with Dricus Du Plessis defending the title in dominant fashion over Sean Strickland. With new contenders all trying to make their case to face the South African, like Imavov, Khamzat Chimaev and Caio Borralho, the winner of the Allen-Hernandez rematch could create their own case for a major matchup in the latter half of 2025 with a win on February 22.
All those stakes are apparent, but first comes the familiarity of a rematch, and it’s one of the most hotly anticipated fights going down in Seattle.
“I think we're going to meet each other in the middle and f***ing get it,” Hernandez said. “He's got something to prove, and I didn't like the fact that he head-kicked me last time. I want f*** him up for that s***. I think it's going to be a war.”
UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song took place live from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington on February 22, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
