Strickland dominates Hernandez in TKO win at UFC Fight Night

shaun strickland He said he was expecting a “tragic” fight Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez on Saturday in Houston, but it proved tragic for his opponent.

Strickland (30-7) recorded his first knockout in more than two years as he stopped Hernandez (15-3) with strikes at 2:33 of the third round. This was Strickland’s first appearance since he fell short in a middleweight title fight. dricus du plessis In February 2025. That loss was widely considered one of the worst performances of Strickland’s career, but he made up for it on Saturday.

“I know we had some things during the conversation,” Strickland said, referring to some heated exchanges with Hernandez earlier in the week. “But after that fight, I feel like I’m part Mexican. That was an awesome fight, and I can’t thank Fluffy enough. He’s the definition of a man. Honestly, Fluffy is the man I want to be. He’s married, a father, a hard-working man – he’s a better man than I could have ever expected.”

Strickland, 34, was ranked No. 3 in the UFC’s middleweight division before the fight, but he was a significant betting underdog to break Hernandez’s streak of eight consecutive wins. However, he flipped that script early on, as he worked Hernandez over with his notorious jab and footwork.

The 17-year veteran was predicted to take down Hernandez in the fourth and fifth rounds of the back-and-forth fight, but instead Strickland hurt him with a knee to the body in the third. He finished the bout with a combination of body punches and uppercuts.

However Strickland has stated in recent interviews that he does not expect to fight for the title any time soon considering the current champion khamzat chimaevWith a history of inaction, he also called for the opportunity after Saturday’s win.

“If Chimaev comes off the bench, I want a piece,” Strickland said. “You never know with that guy, but that’s what I want.”

According to UFC Stats, Strickland defeated Hernandez 92–62 in total strikes and defended Hernandez’s only attempt at a takedown. Fighting out of Las Vegas, Strickland admitted he fought Du Plessis last year with an injured shoulder and then missed the second half of 2025 due to a suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his role in a post-fight brawl at a local event in June.

Maybe the time off has done him good. His last finish before Saturday was a second-round knockout abus magomedov In July 2023. For Hernandez, 32, it snapped a winning streak dating back to February 2021. hernandez lost kevin holland In May 2020, before recording eight consecutive wins with six finishes.

“I thought it was going well, thought it was [one round each]But maybe I got crooked and got caught in the middle with a knee,” Hernandez said. “It’s OK. I’m going to go back to the drawing board and get better. You saw what happened the last time I lost, I got better.”