Athletes
Anthony Hernandez Win Streak
“Fluffy” Looks To Make It Nine In A Row When He Takes On Former Middleweight Champ Sean Strickland In Houston
If you don’t know who Anthony Hernandez is by now, it is time to start paying attention. The middleweight enters his third main event, this time against former middleweight champion Sean Strickland, as he aims to get one step closer to the championship gold.
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Since making his debut back in 2019, Hernandez has gone 9-2 in the Octagon, and he enters this matchup on a eight-fight win streak. Before he looks to extend his win streak to nine on Saturday, let’s take a look back at the wins that got him here.
Vs Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 258 – February 13, 2021
Following his loss to Kevin Holland, Hernandez returned to the Octagon 11 months later after dealing with some COVID issues and got back in the win column in a big way, by submitting Rodolfo Vieira, who was unbeaten in the Octagon heading into the matchup.
Hernandez had Vieira hurt after the first round, and he continued to keep his foot on the gas heading into the second round. After cutting Vieira open with an elbow, the fight moved to the mat, where Hernandez submitted the jiu-jitsu black belt by guillotine choke. The victory earned Hernandez a Performance of the Night bonus, his first in the UFC.
Vs Josh Fremd at UFC 273 – April 9, 2022
Prior to his bout against Fremd, Hernandez faced a series of injuries and cancellations, which kept him on the sidelines for quite some time following his victory over Vieira.
Throughout his fight against Fremd, Hernandez was the one with the better cardio, and it showed, as the fight went all three rounds, which sent “Fluffy” home with his hand raised at the end of the night.
Vs Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Song – September 17, 2022
Hernandez continued his climb up the middleweight division by adding another submission to his record against Marc-Andre Barriault.
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It was a combination of success on the feet and on the ground throughout the fight, as Hernandez capped off his stellar performance with an arm-triangle submission at 1:53 in the third round. The win marked his third in a row.
Vs Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Hill – May 20, 2023
After a handful of submission victories, “Fluffy” got to show off his striking abilities in his fight against Edmen Shahbazyan last year.
Despite getting hit with some shots from Shahbazyan in the opening round, Hernandez proved to be the more durable fighter once again as he increased the pressure and started to hurt Shahbazyan in the second round. The power continued into the third round, as it only took 61 seconds of the third round for the fight to be called.
Hernandez earned his fourth win in a row and continued to show why he is a threat to the 185-pound division.
Vs Roman Kopylov at UFC 298 – February 17, 2024
“Fluffy” made it five in a row at UFC 298 in Anaheim against Roman Kopylov. Hernandez made the most of a late opponent change, after Ikram Aliskerov had to withdraw from the fight.
Full Fight | Anthony Hernandez vs Roman Kopylov
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Full Fight | Anthony Hernandez vs Roman Kopylov
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The two spent the first few minutes of the first round feeling each other out, with Hernandez almost finding success on some takedowns, but Kopylov had strong takedown defense. During the second round, both middleweights were finding success on the feet, but after Hernandez was able to take Kopylov down to the mat, it was only a matter of time before he took his back and sunk in the rear-naked choke.
With the win, “Fluffy” secured his second Performance of the Night bonus in his UFC career.
Vs Michel Pereira at UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Pereira – October 19, 2024
After kicking off 2024 with his submission win over Kopylov, Hernandez stepped into his first UFC main event against Michel Pereira inside the formerly known UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
It was a masterclass of a performance for "Fluffy" who got the job done inside the distance, ending things by TKO in the fifth round. Up until the stoppage, Hernandez controlled most of the fight constantly hurting and pressuring the Brazilian. The victory marked his second Performance of the Night bonus and kept the win streak going for the surging middleweight.
Vs Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song – February 22, 2025
To kick off his 2025 campaign, Hernandez faced a familair foe in Brendan Allen. The two competed against each other seven years prior in LFA for the vacant middleweight title, where Hernandez was the one who left Lousiana with his hand raised.
The outcome was the same inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, with Hernandez coming away with the unanimous decision victory. It was a back and forth battle between the two middleweights, both having scramnbles on the ground, and hunting for submission attempts.
But in the final frame, "Fluffy" took control, kept the pressure and rained down blows until the final horn, picking up his seventh straight win.
Vs Roman Dolidze at UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Hernandez – August 9, 2025
In his best performance to date, Hernandez finished Roman Dolidze in impressive fashion.
Full Fight | Anthony Hernandez vs Roman Dolidze
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Full Fight | Anthony Hernandez vs Roman Dolidze
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The finish came in the fourth round, but through the first 15 minutes, Hernandez kept pressuring forward, as he shown in previous fights, hurting the Georgian. Then, in the fourth round, as Dolidze was on the fence, the Californian latched onto his neck to secure a rear-naked choke as he dragged Dolidze to his feet.
The victory left Hernandez calling for a shot at UFC gold.
UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Hernandez took place live from Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on February 21, 2026. 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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