Perhaps the biggest sign of Hernandez’s growth and the shifting of his mindset over these last couple years is in the way that he spoke about everything after UFC 324, both in the immediate and long-term sense.
For most athletes, everything is predicated on a victory then moving to the next position on the flowchart they have sketched out in their heads. But Hernandez has reached the point where he has divorced himself from the outcome. He still wants to win, obviously, but recognizes that none of his plans have to change based solely on the result of his clash with Johnson.
“I don’t put outcomes on a pedestal anymore. It’s, ‘Desire nothing,’” he said. “I don’t make assumptions, I don’t hold expectations, I don’t have any desire, outside of the fact that I desire a ‘dub.’ I don’t desire the things around it like applause or money or things like that. I just try to think that ‘No matter what, things are still gonna fall into place, barring injury: I’m still gonna toast with my family, I’m still gonna go to a nice dinner, I’m still gonna enjoy my people, go back to the gym, focus on my guys for February, do the brain recovery that I have planned in March in Salt Lake.’
“I’m gonna plan on staying really diligent and in the work,” he added, shifting his attention to his professional focus for the forthcoming year. “I wanna stay in it, stay healthy and stay as busy as I can because what happens over the next four fights can change the trajectory of everything, and I recognize that. Beating Johnson would be better, but not beating Johnson, I’m still approaching everything the same; if I’m healthy, I can roll right into another fight.