Athletes
Sean Strickland | Back In The Saddle
Former Middleweight Champ Looking Forward To Competitive Clash in Houston
A week ahead of his 35th birthday, Sean Strickland is finally returning to action, as the former middleweight titleholder steps in against Anthony Hernandez in a high-powered middleweight pairing atop this weekend’s UFC Fight Night event at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
It’s been just over a year since the prickly American last competed, having last graced the Octagon down under in Sydney, Australia at UFC 312 when he came up short in his championship rematch with Dricus du Plessis. For someone that has typically looked to stay as active as possible, Strickland said the time away was a godsend for his body.
Sean Strickland vs Anthony Hernandez | UFC Journey
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Sean Strickland vs Anthony Hernandez | UFC Journey
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“It’s good (to be back),” began the former champion, who carries a 29-7 record with him into battle this weekend. “I enjoyed the time off, let the body heal up. I had some injuries that needed to heal up, so it was nice… literally, I enjoyed a vacation.”
The hiatus also allowed Strickland the opportunity to further commit to being an outstanding teammate.
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Though the public perception of the 34-year-old is that he’s abrasive and possibly difficult to be around, a survey of the people that share the mats with him at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and the coaches in the room paints an entirely different picture.
Head coach Eric Nicksick, fellow captains Brad Tavares and Dan Ige, and occasional Vegas visitor Zach Reese, who also competes this weekend in the Lone Star State, all sing Strickland’s praises for the way he’s ever-present and eager to help those around him.
For Strickland, getting the chance to be solely focused on helping those around him get better while he allowed his body to heal was a welcomed experience.
“Every day you train, you’re improving,” began the gravel-toned veteran, who remains stationed at No. 3 in the divisional rankings ahead of this weekend’s fight card. “Every day you spar someone else or fight, you reflect, you look back, but I was really just down there helping my teammates.
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“It’s an individual sport, but at the end of the day, your team is kind of what brings you here, so it was nice to give back to some of the guys that got me here.”
After years of being a training nomad and carrying a reputation as someone you might not want in your gym, Strickland has found a home at the Las Vegas outpost, and in his own understated way, has only high praise for his teammates.
Full Fight | Sean Strickland vs Israel Adesanya
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Full Fight | Sean Strickland vs Israel Adesanya
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“It’s good — we have a really good group of people there that push me,” he said, which amounts to a rave review from the Californian. “It’s nice.”
With things at the top end of the middleweight division currently in a holding pattern as everyone awaits the first title defense from champion Khamzat Chimaev, the opportunity to share the Octagon with a like-minded individual like Hernandez is precisely what Strickland was hoping for heading into 2026.
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“I wanted ‘Fluffy,’ I asked for it, and he wanted it,” began Strickland, who makes his seventh main event appearance in his last eight fights on Saturday. “Stylistically, I’ve never done much grappling, especially later in my career. It’s a test that I wanted and the guy’s on a six- or eight-fight winning streak, so what better name is there that you could beat?”
The matchup with Hernandez is as juicy a pairing as you’re going to find in the division at the moment: a clash between two cardio monsters that rarely take a backward step and genuinely love being deep in the muck inside the Octagon. Where Strickland has frequently drowned his opponents with high volume striking, Hernandez is more of a suffocate-you-with-relentless-grappling type, setting the stage for a unique clash of styles between two men that thrive on controlling the tempo.
Or will it?
“I would say I do way more wrestling than I do striking in my camps, so really, it’s just having the gas tank to wrestle for five rounds,” said Strickland, who does in fact hold a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu and used a great deal of wrestling in the early stages of his professional career, including earning his first UFC win by submission. “Generally, he’ll take guys down and break them, but I’m not someone who breaks.
“It should be fun.”
Generally speaking, fighters don’t like to straight up tell you how they’re planning on approaching a fight, and Strickland could very well have been spinning a yarn, but when asked how he sees things playing out this weekend, the former middleweight titleholder was clear and direct with his answer.
“I think I’m gonna out-grapple him,” he said without hesitation. “I think we will grapple. I’m not the hardest guy to take down — I don’t care if I get taken down — but I think it’s gonna be a five-round grappling match and I’ll TKO him in the fourth or fifth.”
The level of intrigue for Saturday’s main event has officially been increased.
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!