Sean Strickland is gunning for gold after taking out Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez in the UFC Houston main event.
In one of his most impressive performances to date, Strickland just stabbed away at Hernandez with his vintage jab but he was much more aggressive than usual going for follow up shots, doing his best to maximize damage. A brutal knee up the middle hurt Hernandez badly and as he wobbled backwards, Strickland went for the kill.
The former middleweight champion unloaded punches in succession
until Hernandez wilted from the pressure and fell to the ground with referee Herb Dean swooping in to rescue him with the end of the fight coming at 2:33 in the third round.
“His boxing [surprised me], a tough motherf*cker dude,” Strickland said after his win. “You have some solid boxing, no one ever told me. No part of you was slowing down but you were getting a little bit sloppy. He’s a f*cking savage. That was a f*cking war. I respect the hell out of you.”
While not exactly known for his finishing prowess, Strickland seemed determined to put this fight away and send a message to reigning middleweight king Khamzat Chimaev. That was obviously on Strickland’s mind after the win.
“Chimaev probably gets off the bench. I’d like to piece that little Chechen whore,” Strickland said. “You never know with him. You never know with that guy but that’s what I want.”
In classic Strickland fashion, he came out and started spamming his lead jab with Hernandez moving side to side in an attempt to avoid the damage. Strickland did connect with a hard punch that snapped Hernandez’s head back and the former champion rushed forward with a blistering combination.
Hernandez weathered the storm and came back at Strickland with a stiff shot of his own and he got more aggressive with a pressure heavy offense. Staying on his front foot, Hernandez was constantly moving forward and Strickland was circling away, throwing a left jab with a right hand behind it.
Despite his grappling pedigree, Hernandez wasn’t really working hard to get inside and when he did, Strickland was able to shrug him off with little effort. In return, Strickland just kept pumping out that same jab and Hernandez just kept eating it.
As the fight moved into the third round, Strickland’s confidence was growing and that multiplied after he blasted Hernandez to the body with a brutal knee. That sent Hernandez stumbling backwards and Strickland flurried with a barrage of punches as he completely overwhelmed his opponent.
The punches continued to batter Hernandez until he just folded under the pressure and crumbled to the canvas. Strickland continued throwing shots until referee the referee saw enough to stop the contest before Hernandez could absorb anymore punishment.
The loss ends Hernandez’s recent win streak as he goes back to the drawing board after coming up short in his biggest opportunity to date in the UFC.
“I thought it was going good,” Hernandez said about his performance. “I got sloppy, got caught with the f*cking knee up the middle. Just time to get back to work.”
Strickland’s knockout win complicates matters at middleweight where it appeared Nassourdine Imavov was the clear cut No. 1 contender in the division. But given Strickland’s fan-favorite status as a former champion, he may just jump the line and challenge Chimaev in his first title defense in 2026.
