Sean Strickland starred in a fight that, despite his initial expectations, turned out to be more favorable for him than for his opponent, Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez.Strickland, with a record of 30-7, achieved his first knockout in over two years, stopping Hernandez (15-3) with punches at 2:33 of the third round.This victory marks a turning point for Strickland, who was coming off a loss in a middleweight title fight against Dricus Du Plessis in February 2025.
“I know we had some words at the weigh-in,” Strickland commented, referring to the heated exchanges with Hernandez. “But after that fight, I feel like I’m part Mexican. It was a war and I can’t thank Fluffy enough. He’s the definition of a man. To be honest, Fluffy is the man I want to be. He’s married, he’s a father, a hard worker, he’s a better man than I could ever hope to be.”
Sean StricklandStrickland, ranked number 3 in the UFC middleweight division before the fight, faced an opponent who came in with an eight-fight winning streak. However, Strickland proved his worth from the first round, using his characteristic jab and footwork to dominate Hernandez.The 17-year-old veteran predicted he would likely have to take Hernandez into rounds four and five to beat him, but instead, he hurt him with a body shot in the third. He finished the fight with body blows and an uppercut combination.Despite having expressed in recent interviews that he does not expect to fight for the title soon, given Khamzat Chimaev’s inactivity, Strickland requested the opportunity after his victory.Sean Strickland logró su primer nocaut en más de dos años, finalizando a Anthony Hernandez con una serie de golpes en el tercer asalto.“If Chimaev comes off the bench, I’d like a shot,” Strickland said. “You never know with that guy, but that’s what I want.”According to UFC statistics, Strickland outstruck Hernandez in total strikes (92-62) and defended Hernandez’s only takedown attempt.Strickland admitted that he fought Du Plessis with a shoulder injury and then missed time in the second half of 2025 due to a suspension for his participation in a post-fight altercation at a local event in June.His last finish before Saturday was a knockout in the second round against Abus Magomedov in July 2023. For Hernandez, 32, this loss ended a winning streak that dated back to February 2021.Hernandez lost to Kevin Holland in May 2020, before accumulating eight consecutive victories with six finishes.
“I thought I was doing well, I thought it was [one takedown each], but maybe I got careless and got caught with the knee in the center,” Hernandez said. “It’s okay. I’ll go back to the drawing board and improve. They saw what happened the last time I lost, I improved.”
