Athletes
Carlos Hernandez | No Easy Assignments
Contender Series Graduate Discusses Tough Slate Ahead Of Opportunity In Macau
“Strength of schedule” is a concept that has been gaining more mention in the mixed martial arts space in recent years, as the idea that has been a part of determining rankings in collegiate sports for years have started to filter over into the MMA space.
While everyone can recognize the hellish slate veterans like Rafael Dos Anjos and Edson Barboza have fought over the course of their careers and give the Brazilian stalwarts their deserving praise, applying the notion in the early stages of a competitor’s UFC journey helps put the ebbs and flows of a career spent chasing victories at the highest level into greater perspective.
Take Carlos Hernandez.
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A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’21, the 31-year-old flyweight has gone 2-3 over his first five appearances inside the Octagon, but his strength of schedule has been second-to-none.
"It’s been a growing and learning experience,” Hernandez said with a smile on Thursday morning in Macau, where he’s set to face off with promotional newcomer Nyamjargal Tumendemberel on Saturday, when asked about his continuous run of tough opponents that has left him heading into the weekend on a two-fight skid. “You go back to that cliche where people don’t say it’s a loss — it’s a learning experience; that’s the mentality we’ve taken with each outing that hasn’t gone our way.
Carlos Hernandez Fight Week Interview | UFC Macau
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Carlos Hernandez Fight Week Interview | UFC Macau
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“It comes with the job, too, I guess,” he added. “Any time you don’t do well or don’t perform, it’s tough, but you pick yourself up, learn from it, and move on.”
After edging out current UFC flyweight competitor Daniel Barez to earn a place on the UFC roster, Hernandez opened his career with a split decision win over fellow DWCS alum Victor Altamirano before his sophomore appearance against Brazilian Allan Nascimento brought his eight-fight winning streak to a halt.
He got things moving in the right direction again with a technical decision win over Denys Bondar, but was then tabbed to face a pair of promising, young Japanese talents in Tatsuro Taira and Rei Tsuruya, landing on the wrong side of the results against each. While two wins in five starts is never how anyone wants things to shake out, setbacks against the criminally underrated Nascimento, a Top 5 fighter in Taira, and a hot prospect like Tsuruya is nothing to hang one’s head about, though that provides little solace for the competitive Chicago-based flyweight.
“A little bit, but, at the end of the day, the competitor in me wants to get it back,” Hernandez said in regards to finding positives in landing on the wrong side of the results against such game opposition. “You want to get your hand raised — that’s the goal for each one of these outings — but I guess there is a little bit when you look back.
“Like you (said earlier): it hasn’t been an easy two-year stint so far — there have been some tough fights — but, at the end of the day, the competitor in me is like, ‘Go get that back!’”
While full-on avenging his previous setbacks will have to wait (for now), Hernandez has the opportunity to clear the slate and close out his 2024 campaign this weekend in Macau when he steps in with Tumendemberel.
“I just approach it like any other fight, I guess,” the veteran said in regard to putting his stumbles behind him and focusing exclusively on the task at hand, without allowing the moment to get too big. “Coach has this ’24-hour rule’ for us where it’s ‘don’t fall in love with your wins, don’t dwell on your losses,’ so I’m just treating it like that.
“The last couple have been some tough outings, but, like I said before, we just learn from it, adapt, and not worry about the future or think too much about the past; just focus on Saturday night here and doing what we’ve got to do.
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“Right off the bat, you notice his aggressiveness; he comes forward right away,” he continued, offering his assessment of Tumendemberel, who impressed in a pair of non-tournament appearances during the second season of Road to UFC and carries a perfect 8-0 mark with seven finishes into Saturday’s clash with Hernandez. “He’s got some quick finishes on his record; he’s a power puncher.
“It’s kind of like the Contender Series fight — a lot of similarities — so we want to use similar tactics, but do a little better than that Contender Series fight.”
In addition to wanting to get things moving in the right direction again to close out the year, Hernandez has garnered a tremendous amount of motivation from sharing the training room with a pair of UFC champions.
“It’s been awesome,” he said in regards to the tenor in the room at Valle Flow Striking, which includes both welterweight champ Belal Muhammad and two-time bantamweight titleholder Julianna Pena. “In more recent times we’re getting noticed more, but the work ethic, the grind has always been the same since I started there.
“Everyone is coming in ready to work hard; no egos, no drama. We’ve got two champs in the gym right now — you walk in the doors and you see the belts hanging there, which is nice motivation before each session.”
Breaking Down The Road To UFC Finale
For the time being, chasing down the flyweight title stands as a secondary or tertiary goal for Hernandez, as his focus is trained exclusively on his assignment this weekend and getting to enjoy Thanksgiving back home after a victory.
And after dealing with a daunting strength of schedule to start his UFC tenure, wrapping up the year with a good win that sets him back on course heading into 2025 is what he would like to savor most.
“It means everything,” he said of a victory this weekend. “It’s what we work for, so to get out of this slump, get out of this little fog, means the world right now.”
UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Figueiredo took place live from Galaxy Arena in Macau, China on November 23, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!