Anthony Hernandez’s winning streak came to an emphatic end on Saturday night.
The fan-favorite middleweight contender returned in the main event of UFC Houston, looking to make it nine victories in a row and secure a first title shot in the promotion.
Instead, Hernandez was badly beaten by Sean Strickland, who was in control for much of the contest before landing the TKO stoppage in round three.
While the former champ looks ahead to a possible challenge for gold next, it’s back to the drawing board for Hernandez, who has admitted that he was beaten by the “better man.”
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Anthony Hernandez vows to be ‘back better than ever’ after upset loss at UFC Houston
Before running into Strickland at the Toyota Center, ‘Fluffy’ had climbed the ranks at 185 pounds courtesy of an eight-fight winning streak.
That run included triumphs over Brendan Allen and Roman Dolidze, leaving many describing Hernandez as the biggest threat to Khamzat Chimaev.
Saturday saw that narrative take a hit, but the defeated UFC Houston headliner is keeping his head up.
In a statement on Instagram, ‘Fluffy’ showed class with his response to the loss, as he praised Strickland’s performance before promising to make a strong comeback down the line.
“Thank you for the love Houston ! 🫶🏽🙏🏽 the energy was unreal,” Hernandez wrote. “Congratulations to @stricklandmma he was the better man tonight, much respect. I’ll be back better than ever.”
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Sean Strickland may have taken Nassourdine Imavov’s title shot
While Hernandez looks ahead to his chance to rebound and reignite his title ambitions, Strickland is already pushing for his second shot at becoming a two-time champ.
Strickland lost to Dricus du Plessis in his attempt to exact revenge on the South African last February. Despite UFC Houston marking his first fight since that title fight defeat, the American thinks he could already be in line for another.
Chimaev’s coach pointed to Strickland vs Hernandez as a fight that could determine the champ’s next opponent, despite the presence of Nassourdine Imavov.
The consensus number one contender could be at risk of being leapfrogged by Strickland after his impressive display in ‘The Lone Star State’ on February 21.