The #3 and #4 middleweights in the UFC will collide in the main event of UFC Houston next year.
As announced on Friday, the UFC will return to Houston, Texas on February 21, 2026 for a Fight Night event. On Saturday, during the UFC 323 main card broadcast, promotion officials revealed that middleweights Sean Strickland (29-7) and Anthony Hernandez (15-2, 1NC) will headline that show at the Toyota Center.
The bout sees former champ Strickland returning from a suspension after he entered the cage during a regional show in Las Vegas, and attempted to attack an opposing fighter while serving as a corner for a teammate. That earned Strickland a six month ban from the Nevada Athletic Commission earlier this year.
Strickland is 1-2 across his last three fights, losing his middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis, defeating Paulo Costa, then losing to Du Plessis a second time in a rematch with the South African.
As for Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez, the surging middleweight has been on a tear with eight straight wins behind him. What Hernandez lacks, if anything, is a win over a former UFC champ, which he could collect come February.
Hernandez was expected to headline UFC Vancouver opposite Reinier de Ridder this past October, but was forced out of what had been looked at as a number one contender’s bout due to injury.
Sean Strickland sits at #3 in the middleweight division, with Anthony Hernandez one spot back at #4. Next in line for champ Khamzat Chimaev is likely the #2-ranked Nassourdine Imavov, though nothing has been officially announced or booked.
