Athletes
Anthony Hernandez: ‘The Next Champ Is Here’
Riding A Five-Fight Winning Streak Into His First Main Event, Anthony Hernandez Has Lofty Expectations For His Opportunity In The Spotlight
The best fighters are often the ones who can drag a fight into their style of combat at one point or another. At their best, a fight featuring Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre or Khabib Nurmagomedov, generally, looks like every other one. While Anthony Hernandez isn’t on that Hall of Fame level at present, he is quickly establishing what to expect when “Fluffy” enters the cage. Namely, a high-pace, ugly, drag-it-out dogfight that features Hernandez’s opponent succumbing to the California native’s pressure.
From his upset submission win over Rodolfo Vieira in February 2021 to his submission victory over Roman Kopylov at UFC 298, Hernandez’s current five-fight winning streak has progressively pushed him into the spotlight, culminating in a main event opportunity opposite Michel Pereira on October 19. In each of those five fights, Hernandez broke his opponent down before eventually getting the win, regularly with a big smile on his face while his foe wilted.
“I'm a sick f***, I guess,” Hernandez said during his media day interview with UFC.com. “Something about just breaking someone's soul and seeing them just like, ‘F*** it.’ It f***ing gets me going. I don't know what it is, but I just like breaking people. It's fun to see for me.”
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Although most fighters enjoy a quick night at the office, there is also something to be said about an athlete who can find the finishing sequence deeper into a fight after adjustments are made and played out. That’s the case for Hernandez. Each of his finishes came after the opening stanza and usually after a strong flurry from the opposition.
The self-described “sick f***” has made a habit of weathering that early storm with a smile on his face, begging his opponent to maintain the same energy deep into the bout.
Anthony Hernandez | Top Finishes
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Anthony Hernandez | Top Finishes
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“I talk a lot of s*** when I fight (laughs),” Hernandez said. “I don't talk s*** on social media and all that, but when we're fighting, we're actually trying to hurt each other; that's war tactics. Get in their head, f*** with them, break them, no matter what. You can tell in someone's eyes.
“I'm in shape for a f*** ton of rounds, so when I see people start to get tired, I'm like, ‘Oh, b****, I'm just getting started.’ That's another gear. Now we're hitting third, fourth, fifth gear. Not cruising no more. I love it.”
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It’s a style Hernandez says dates back to his kickboxing days when he was younger. Now, with 15 professional MMA fights under his belt and years of training with Jim West and Tom Fallon, he feels like he put in the time to become a “master” at it.
He’ll need to draw on all that experience and confidence against the dynamic and unpredictable Pereira. “Demolidor” arrives on an eight-fight win streak, including three consecutive first-round finishes since returning to the middleweight division in October 2023.
On paper, it seems like a fight where Hernandez will have to mind his p’s and q’s early before imposing his will as the fight grows. So, in essence, this fight is very much in his wheelhouse.
“He's f***ing very dangerous, very explosive,” Hernandez said. “(He) hits hard. He's got a bunch of great attributes. But after two rounds, how athletic is he? He's not very athletic. He starts shooting. He starts wrestling. He starts making mistakes. That's perfect for me, stylistically, on paper. That's f***ing perfect, but obviously, I got to get past all the crazy bulls***. If I f***ing keep a solid 1-2 in his face, that should get me right in range.”
Hernandez said he will need to maintain his composure if Pereira gets deep into his bag of tricks, and that’s sort of been the fun contradiction of his winning streak. Despite the trash talk and occasional taunting, Hernandez fights like a mindful and disciplined athlete. He just so happens to love melting the man in front of him.
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On October 19, Hernandez gets the biggest opportunity of his career. He acknowledges his UFC tenure got off to a slow start, but he also learned his lessons from that 1-2 stretch to open his account. Now, he’s on the precipice of a breakout performance, and perhaps even a run toward the title picture in 2025.
“At the end of the day, when I get in the cage, it's, ‘F*** you, fight me, b****.’ It's as simple as that. I'm going to be there every second. Like a little f***ing fly in your face bugging you.
“I'm just going to show everyone that the next champ is here. That's the goal. That's what it's always been. This fight just shows that I'm going to get closer and closer. So be ready, motherf***ers.”
UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Pereira, live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 19, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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