“Fluffy” did some serious work.
No. 7-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Anthony Hernandez returns against Brazilian killer Gregory Rodrigues in the main event of UFC Sacramento this weekend (Sat., Aug. 22, 2026) inside Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.
Hernandez is coming off a loss in a No. 1 contender fight, suffering a third-round stoppage against current Middleweight champion Sean Strickland. Instead of attempting to regroup on his own, “Fluffy” spent the summer
in Las Vegas training alongside Strickland at Xtreme Couture.
And it’s safe to say the experience was worthwhile.
“I had to make some adjustments, simple as that,” Hernandez told UFC.com this week. “This fighting shit is not rocket science — if you f—k up, then you’re probably going to get f—ked up. So, it lays it right out for you nice and perfect regarding what you need to adjust and fix. Unfortunately, that’s how it played out last time, and doing a camp [in Las Vegas], we cleaned up a lot of shit and fixed a lot of stuff. I’m excited to show you what I can do.”
“At the end of the day, I take full credit for everything,” Hernandez continued. “I’m the motherf—ker who fights. I’m the motherf—ker with the brains behind the shit, and I know what I do right and what I do wrong. I moved away from my family for the full summer, went to the UFC P.I., locked all the way the f—k in, jumped in with a bunch of elite 185ers who are dangerous and went to work every day…It was a camp full of growth.”
Along with receiving tips from Strickland and the other elite Middleweights at Xtreme Couture, Hernandez said the change of scenery helped rekindle his love for mixed martial arts. Every sparring session brought an element of danger because Hernandez knew anyone in the room could make him pay for a mistake.
“Bro, I know how good I am, but when you get thrown into a room — I can be exhausted, and this random f—ker could take my head off,” Hernandez said. “Just not knowing, that is what makes me excited. It was fun to be out there and just lock in.”
Hernandez understands the danger his upcoming opponent presents, particularly during the opening rounds. However, “Fluffy” is banking on weathering Rodrigues’ early onslaught before drowning “Robocop” with his trademark pressure and relentless pace once the Brazilian begins to tire.
After spending the entire summer cleaning up his mistakes, Hernandez will now have five rounds to prove that “Fluffy 2.0” is more than just talk.
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