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Brett Okamoto
Former middleweight champion Sean Strickland will face Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 21, officials announced on Saturday.
The event will take place at Toyota Center in Houston. Strickland and Hernandez are ranked Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, in the UFC’s middleweight division.
For Strickland (29-7), 34, it will mark his first appearance since he came up short in a title fight rematch against then-champion Dricus Du Plessis in February. He is currently serving a six-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his participation in a postfight brawl at a Las Vegas event in June. The suspension expires later this month.
Hernandez (15-2) is one of the hottest middleweights in the world, with an eight-fight win streak in the UFC. He is coming off ranked wins over Roman Dolidze and Brendan Allen. He was supposed to face Reinier de Ridder in October but was forced to withdraw because of injury.
The winner of the Feb. 21 bout could put himself in good position to face defending champion Khamzat Chimaev in 2026. French contender Nassourdine Imavov is also in the running to face Chimaev next.