Anthony Hernandez Gets Albert Duraev at UFC 273 on April 9

Anthony Hernandez, UFC 258 post-fight
Anthony Hernandez, UFC 258 post-fight Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press

2021’s Submission of the Year winner Anthony Hernandez has his next assignment.

Hernandez (8-2, 1NC) is set to face Albert Duraev (15-3) in a middleweight contest at UFC 273 on April 9, 2022. Both fighters confirmed the booking on social media, following an initial report by MMA Junkie.

When “Fluffy” Hernandez steps into the octagon this April, it will be his first fight back since a massive upset over BJJ ace Rodolfo Vieira. That guillotine choke win was straight out of left field, resulting in multiple Submission of the Year nominations for Hernandez (and a win right here on Cageside Press).

Overall, Hernandez is 2-2 inside the octagon to date. He had been expected to face Dustin Stoltzfus in December, but was forced out of the bout for undisclosed reasons.

Duraev (15-3), a winner on Dana White’s Contender Series last year, made his promotional debut in October, winning a unanimous decision against Roman Kopylov. That improved the Russian’s win streak to ten. Of his three losses, two came against Anatoly Tokov and Ramazan Emeev — one now a star in Bellator, the other also on the UFC roster currently.

UFC 273 takes place April 9, 2022 at a location yet to be officially announced. The event is expected to feature the following bouts:

  • Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Chan Sung Jung – for the UFC featherweight championship
  • Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Petr Yan (ic) – for the UFC bantamweight championship
  • Aspen Ladd vs. Irene Aldana
  • Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nassourdine Imavov
  • Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Dricus du Plessis vs Chris Curtis
  • Mickey Gall vs. Mike Malott
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres
  • Julio Arce vs. Daniel Santos
  • Pat Sabatini vs. Gavin Tucker
  • Darian Weeks vs. Ian Garry
  • Mark Madsen vs. Vinc Pichel
  • Kay Hansen vs. Piera Rodriguez
  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Albert Duraev