Anthony Hernandez

Sean Strickland melted and finished Anthony Hernandez against the cage in the third round of their main event affair to secure a TKO victory Saturday. The loss snapped an eight-fight unbeaten streak dating back six years. The 2018 Contender Series alum now falls to 9-3 under the UFC banner with a loss that truly stings in more ways than one.

Perfect next matchup here for the #4 ranked middleweight is to give him the winner of Reinier de Ridder vs Caio Borralho. That fight goes down in the co main event slot of UFC 326 on March 7th. Both RDR and Caio Borralho are coming off of their first losses with the promotion. (#7) Borralho is 7-1, and lost to Nassourdine Imavov in September, while (#8) RDR is 4-1 and just fell to Brendan Allen in October. Fluffy was even supposed to face RDR instead of Allen in October but a hand injury forced him out of the bout. This could be another main event on a fight night card or on the main card of a pay per view with the winner a fight or two from a title shot.

Hernandez’s next fight: Reinier de Ridder vs Caio Borralho winner

Geoff Neal

Uros Medic took just 79 seconds to flatten Geoff Neal with a left hook and claim a first round victory in the co main event of UFC Houston. Geoff, who entered the fight ranked at #12 in the welterweight division, now falls to 8-6 under the promotional banner. Geoff has now won just one bout in his last five, falling to Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry, Carlos Prates, and now Medic. Who knows where Neal will fall in the rankings as Medic entered the bout on Saturday unranked.

A good next fight for Neal would be the loser of Myktybek Orolbai vs Chris Curtis. That fight is on March 14th. Curtis, has had one fight since moving down to welterweight, and was once highly ranked at 185lbs. He’s 6-4, 1 NC in the UFC. Orolbai is 4-1 and is just coming off of a massive first round KO over former highly-ranked middleweight fighter, Jack Hermansson, last November. Myktybek also has a second round neck crank victory over Uros Medic in 2023. Great fight to keep Neal right in it with competitive scrappers as he will likely lose his ranking and be looking for a name without one.

Neal’s next fight: Myktybek Orolbai vs. Chris Curtis loser

Dan Ige

Melquizael Costa caught Dan Ige with a perfectly timed spinning back kick before finishing him off with ruthless ground and pound, securing a finish seconds before the end of the first round on Saturday. Dan, who entered the fight ranked at #14 as a featherweight, will now likely slide out of the rankings. Especially taking into consideration that Costa was unranked heading into the fight. Ige now falls to 11-10 with the UFC. It has been a rough stretch for the Hawaiian who has won just one of his last five fights.

For his next fight I like Ige against the loser of (#13) Kevin Vallejos vs. (#11) Josh Emmett. That fight goes down on March 14th, so the timing could potentially work well.  If Ige draws Emmett it’d be a rematch from their December of 2021 fight where Emmett won a decision. If Josh loses he’d have lost four of his last five (just like Ige). Vallejos is 3-0 in the UFC and most recently stopped Giga Chikadze in December (bouncing him from the rankings).

Ige’s next fight: Kevin Vallejos vs. Josh Emmett Loser or Giga Chikadze

Ante Delija

Serghei Spivac turned in a solid performance defeating Ante Delija by unanimous division on Saturday. Spivac entered the fight ranked at #7 in the heavyweight division while Ante sat at #9. Both fighters were coming off of a loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who was just on fire in 2025. Of course, it goes without saying that no one is safe within the UFC’s heavyweight ranks after a loss.

For Ante, I could see a scenario where he is fed to a younger gun. At just 1-2 in the UFC his sole win came via first round finish against Marcin Tybura in his promotional debut in September of last year. Giving him the winner of Steven Asplund vs Vitor Petrino, which goes down on March 14th has potential. Both are very young (27 and 28, respectively) and are going strong in their UFC careers with winning records (1-0 and 6-2, respectively). They are both Contender Series guys, and both are unranked. Or, looking back a few months to a losers article, you could still give Ante- Shamil Gaziev. Shamil is 3-2 in the UFC and is ranked at #13 in the division. He’s coming off a loss to none other than Waldo Cortes-Acosta, back in late November so it could still work well here.

Delija’s next fight: Steven Asplund vs Vitor Petrino Winner or Shamil Gaziev

Josiah Harrell

Jacobe Smith dominated and finished Josiah Harrell on the ground to get a grimy finish on the main card of UFC Houston Saturday. It was the battle of the undefeated prospects as Harrel entered the fight with a 11-0 pro MMA record, with Smith being an identical 11-0 as a pro. However, this fight was Josiah’s first fight with the UFC. And on a shortened timeframe as Smith’s original opponent, Seok Hyeon Ko ,withdrew from the bout after a suffering a rib injury. Jacobe was a 2024 Contender Series veteran and already had two fights under his belt with the promotion.

So keeping all that in mind, Josiah has options when it comes to his next matchup. The UFC giving him someone with a bit of a name (but also winnable fight) is likely after he stepped up on short notice. A fight with Austin Vandeford, former Bellator title challenger could materialize. Vandeford is 1-1 with the UFC stopping Nikolay Veretennikov in his February 2025 debut before being stopped by Ramiz Brahimaj in October. He’s 13-3 as a pro and a good grappling based challenge. However, he just withdrew from a bout against Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani scheduled this card.

Solid backup would be Phil Rowe. Phil is a 2019 Contender Series product who is 4-5 with the promotion and built a name as a hard-nosed litmus test. He’s 1-2 in his last three, stopping Ange Loosa before dropping a pair of decisions to Seok Hyeon Ko and most recently, Jean-Paul Lebosnyani via split. Although, its worth noting he did miss weight in his last time out as he stepped in for one Austin Vandeford.

Harrell’s next fight: Phil Rowe or Austin Vanderford

Zach Reese

Michel Pereira barely edged past Zach Reese on the scorecards to secure a crucial victory in the main event opener of UFC Houston. Reese now falls to 4-3, 1 NC with the promotion since being signed off the Contender Series in 2023.  Reese has wins over Dusko Todorovic and most recently Jackson McVey, which earned himself a performance bonus in November. But Reese is in the hot seat here.

I’d match Reese up against a guy like Gearld Meerschaert. There are a lot of 185lbs. hanging around that level who have all struggled and fought each other (SD Dumas, Michal Oleksiejczuk, Reese, Marc-Andre Barriault, to name a few). Meerschaert is more established with the promotion than all of the above, and has whole bunch of submission victories too (to put it mildly).

Gerald is 12-13 with the promotion but is currently on a four-fight skid (Reinier de Ridder, Brad Tavares, Michal Oleksiejczuk and Kyle Daukaus back in November). Good match-up here, striker vs grappler, with the loser potentially packing their things.

Reese’s next fight: Gerald Meerschaert

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Strickland entered the Toyota Center ready to fight for the first time in about a year, when he lost a rematch with Dricus Du Plessis, who had dethroned him for the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 297 in Toronto.

As for Hernandez, and eight-fight win streak had set him up as a legitimate title contender; a win over Strickland might just punch his ticket.

In traditional Strickland fashion, he worked his jab and teep kicks to start the UFC Houston main event, with Hernandez walking him down while the crowd got a “Fluffy” chant going. Strickland, to his credit, was more than a two-trick pony, and found a home for a short uppercut as Hernandez closed the distance. Moments later Strickland connected again, and Hernandez smiled, a sign that he was more hurt than he let on. Strickland went on the attack, and “Fluffy” covered up, surviving a brief onslaught.

Moments later it was Hernandez backing Strickland up, swinging and briefly trapping him against the cage. Strickland would extricate himself from that spot, regroup, and go back to working his jab and fighting, rather well, off his back foot.

Round two saw Strickland fire a front kick early, while Hernandez continued to look for a way in. Strickland evaded one attack, and countered with a right. Hernandez found more success on his next offensive, forcing Strickland to cover and escape. The jab continued to serve Strickland well, and his movement kept him just out of range of Hernandez’s strikes. Hernandez did tag the body; they’d clinch at center briefly, but through a round and a half, it was very much a Sean Strickland-style fight.

The back half of the round didn’t do much to change that impression. Strickland doubled up on his jab to start round three after that, which Hernandez did just barely manage to clip the ex-champ with a punch of his own. Strickland remained difficult to hit for “Fluffy,” who through two and half rounds, half of the scheduled main event, had not even come close to a takedown.

Strickland, meanwhile, would nail Hernandez with a knee, and swing wild with a follow-up, missing. A deluge of punches that followed did not piss, however, as Strickland unleashed on an injured “Fluffy.” A lot of those punches were landing, looping lefts and rights, and Hernandez initially fired back then went down. Strickland added on a few more, and the ref made the call! A TKO finish for the ex-champ, in his best performance since winning the title against Israel Adesanya in 2023.

Strickland was complimentary of Hernandez following the fight. “This man is the definition of a f*cking savage.” He also admitted he was open to a fight with Khamzat Chimaev, should the champ not move up to 205lbs at least.

Official Result: Sean Strickland def. Anthony Hernandez by TKO (punches), Round 3, 2:33

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On an eight-fight win streak, the laid back (outside the cage) and deadly (inside it) Hernandez was poised to claim a title shot.

Strickland, always controversial, was looking to bounce back from a second loss to Dricus Du Plessis. 185lb champ Khamzat Chimaev, meanwhile, has of late been teasing a move to 205lbs, meaning the middleweight title is very much in limbo. A theme Strickland jumped on during this week’s UFC Houston media day, where the Xtreme Couture fighter had another of his patented, rambling conversations with assembled media members.

The takeaway? Strickland hasn’t changed, was willing to fight Chimaev, called him a terrorist, dragged the Rousey-Carano fight, and said really nothing that will make it likely to see him given the nod over Nassourdine Imavov.

Imavov sits in the #2 position in the division, behind only another ex-champ in Du Plessis. Strickland is #3, Hernandez #4, though that would almost certainly flip with a “Fluffy” win on Saturday.

Following UFC Houston, tune in for the night’s post-fight press conference. A live stream is available in the embed above.

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Presumably, Nassourdine Imavov is up next for Khamzat Chimaev, but after that, Anthony Hernandez sits on an eight fight win streak, and nine would almost certainly earn him a spot. Sean Strickland, meanwhile, is a former champ who constantly courts controversy, and as such draws eyeballs, something the UFC would like plenty of as the Paramount+ broadcast deal rolls through its second month.

Weigh-ins for UFC Houston take place Friday; full results can be found below.

UFC Houston: Strickland vs. Hernandez Weigh-In Results

Main card

Middleweight: Sean Strickland (185) vs. Anthony Hernandez (186)
Welterweight: Geoff Neal (170.5) vs. Uroš Medić (171)
Featherweight: Dan Ige (145.5) vs. Melquizael Costa (145.5)
Heavyweight: Serghei Spivac (251.5) vs. Ante Delija (239)
Welterweight: Jacobe Smith (171) vs. Josiah Harrell (171)
Middleweight: Zachary Reese (185.5) vs. Michel Pereira (186)

Preliminary card 

Welterweight: Chidi Njokuani (171) vs. Carlos Leal Miranda (170)
Flyweight: Ode’ Osbourne (126) vs. Alibi Idiris (126)
Flyweight: Alden Coria (125.5) vs. Luis Gurule (125)
Women’s Bantamweight: Nora Cornolle (136) vs.Joselyne Edwards (135.5)
Welterweight: Ramiz Brahimaj (170.5) vs. Punahele Soriano (171)
Welterweight: Philip Rowe (170.5)* vs. Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani (170.5)
Featherweight: Jordan Leavitt (145.5) vs. Yadier del Valle (145.5)
Women’s Flyweight: Juliana Miller (126) vs. Carli Judice (125)

* Missed Weight on first attempt (172), re-weighed successfully

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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.

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It’s not clear what exactly forced Hernandez to pull from the bout, but it wasn’t a total surprise. Middleweight contender Paulo Costa began posting on X about being offered a short-notice bout against a top middleweight earlier in the day.

Paulo Costa insinuates that he got offered RDR on short notice after Fluffy pulled out…. #UFCVancouver pic.twitter.com/zUb77yqZW2

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) September 16, 2025

Costa insinuates that he was offered de Ridder, but asked for three rounds with the lack of time to prepare. Seems like RDR said no and the promotion moved on to Allen instead.

The change did not get a welcome reception from fans as many were very upset they weren’t getting the perceived #1 contender fight between RDR and Fluffy. De Ridder now takes on #11 contender coming off a decision victory over Marvin Vettori, but having a recent two-fight losing skid.

“I mean it’s a fine fight but to go from RDR – Fluffy to RDR – Brendan Allen is a pretty sizable downgrade in terms of hype,” one X user said.

“Nobody wants to watch Brendan Allen man. F*ck this,” another posted.

Now the questions begin. Is Allen a big enough opponent for de Ridder to beat and leapfrog Nassourdine Imavov for the next title shot? If Allen wins does he become the #1 contender?

In a stacked middleweight division with a new champion with Khamzat Chimaev at the top, this new main event brings many more questions than it does answers.

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On Tuesday, promotion officials announced the main event of October’s UFC Vancouver, which will see former ONE Championship double-champ Reinier de Ridder (21-2) face off against Anthony Hernandez (15-2, 1NC).

A second Canadian date in 2025 for the UFC, the Fight Night event takes place on October 18, 2025 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. UFC 315 took place this past April in Montreal.

The announcement comes in the wake of Khamzat Chimaev dethroning Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 this past weekend, and just two weeks on from Hernandez putting on a dominant performance against Roland Dolidze at the UFC Apex.

De Ridder, meanwhile, enters the fight off a split decision win over former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. “The Dutch Knight” has done nothing but win since arriving in the UFC last year, notching victories over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, and Bo Nickal in addition to the Whittaker win.

Reinider de Ridder is ranked #5, while Anthony Hernandez sits one spot behind him at #6 in the UFC’s official 185lb rankings.

While the winner of RDR versus “Fluffy” could very well find themselves stepping into a title shot against Chimaev, another fight on the horizon could also stake a claim to that spot. In September at UFC Paris, #1 ranked Nassourdine Imavov takes on #7 ranked Caio Borralho.

Of course, Chimaev had expressed interested in fighting in Abu Dhabi in October, though that seems unlikely to happen now given the timing.

The post Key Middleweight Fight Announced as UFC Vancouver Headliner appeared first on Cageside Press.

Anthony Hernandez

Winner of now eight straight, Anthony Hernandez looked as polished as ever on Saturday when he dominated Roman Dolidze on his way to a fourth-round submission. With that rear-naked choke, “Fluffy” became the first fighter to finish Dolidze. While the performance was impressive and so was the result, unfortunately for him, middleweight isn’t lacking in contenders right now. Reinier de Ridder has all the wind in his sails as he just broke into the top5, there’s a title eliminator going down in Paris a month from now, and big names like Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya are always lurking. Could Hernandez call out and get one of those two former champions? It’s possible, but not probable.

I believe the winner of the Paris main event between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho will be awarded the next title shot. With so many consequential bouts in the near future, we sometimes forget that the losers of those bouts will also need opponents. That’s why I had RDR matched up with the loser of next week’s title fight when he won in Abu Dhabi. With Adesanya and Strickland seemingly in no hurry to book their next one, that leaves Fluffy with the loser of the Paris main event. I thought about Robert Whittaker, but I think Bobby Knuckles will take a break, while Fluffy appears to want to get to the belt as soon as possible.

Hernandez’s next fight: Imavov/Borralho loser

Steve Erceg

Seventeen months removed from his last victory, Steve Erceg finally got back in the win column at UFC Vegas 109, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Ode’ Osbourne. Yes, Osbourne had lost three of his last four coming in and took the fight on short notice, but getting a win of any kind was an encouraging sight for the Australian. This win shouldn’t propel him back with the top dogs of the division, but it should be enough to just re-book the original Alex Perez matchup. Perez and Erceg are two fighters who fans know are very skilled and much better than their records would indicate of late. Let’s see which one of the two can get back in the mix.

Erceg’s next fight: Alex Perez

Iasmin Lucindo

The youngster Lucindo had been impressive in her UFC run thus far, until she ran into Amanda Lemos in March. Lucindo wasn’t able to use her athletic gifts against the equally athletic, but much more experienced Lemos. She looked completely outmatched in her last outing, but this was a nice bounce back performance over the litmus test of the division in Angela Hill. Another fighter who looked promising until she ran into a top five opponent was Tabatha Ricci. Ricci had posted a very good 6-1 record at strawweight before she hit a roadblock against Yan Xiaonan. Ricci then rebounded nicely against Amanda Ribas, another one of those gatekeeping types. Why not match Ricci with Lucindo to see which of the two can string two wins together and earn a second crack at the top five?

Lucindo’s next fight: Tabatha Ricci

Andre Fili

The savvy veteran “Touchy” Fili has been juggling wins and losses for years, now. While he has failed to win consecutive fights since 2019, he always shows impressive levels of ability against a very respectable strength of schedule. With this split decision win against a Christian Rodriguez seven years his junior, could Fili stop another young prospect in his track? Let’s say, someone like wrestling powerhouse Isaac Dulgarian. It’s often ill-advised to take MMA math at face value, but to the extent that it offers any sort of relevant information, his latest win would tell us that Fili has a good chance to beat Dulgarian.

Fili’s next fight: Isaac Dulgarian

Jean Matsumoto

Matsumoto came within a hair of defeating Rob Font in February and breaking into the rankings at just 25 years of age. He lost a split decision that some people thought could have gone his way. Same story, different result this time around, as he won a split decision in a fun scrap at UFC Vegas 109 that could have gone against him. Miles Johns was a proper opponent for the youngster coming off that Font fight and he passed the test. There are quite a few names within that tier that Matsumoto could face next such as Davey Grant, Brady Hiestand or Da’Mon Blackshear, but I went with Victor Henry, who I think is equally tricky on the feet as he in on the ground.

Matsumoto’s next fight: Victor Henry

Christian Leroy Duncan

Even though he was victorious in his last outing, it still felt like CLD needed a “bounce back win” this weekend against Eryk Anders. He’s had a couple of nice finishes in the UFC, but his last fight in March was such a stinker that this first-round KO was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Englishman. Anders has had a decent career in the promotion, but Duncan showed how much of a difference being eight years younger can make. The exciting parts of CLD’s game can be quite entertaining, so why not put him up against someone who will bring the best out of him? Someone like Brazilian striker Marco Tulio, who’s had two knockouts so far in his rookie year.

Leroy Duncan’s next fight: Marco Tulio

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Instead, four fighters picked up $50,000 U.S. Performance of the Night bonuses following a Fight Night event at the Apex that, if lacking in relevance outside of the main event, produced plenty of explosive moments.

The most explosive of those came when second-generation UFC star Elijah Smith, with proud pop Gilbert Smith in his corner, landed a Rampage Jackson-style slam knockout on Toshiomi Kazama in the opening round of their bantamweight fight. Rampage did that during his prime at 205lbs; seeing Smith hoist up his opponent and, at 135, still have the power to put him to sleep was impressive.

Technically, the follow-up strikes might have done that, but Kazama had been knocked senseless by the slam itself. Unfortunately the ref, probably caught as unaware as the rest of us given the rarity of slam KOs, was just a step slow in making the save.

Kazama was transported to hospital and released later in the evening, per the UFC Vegas 109 broadcast.

UFC Vegas 109 headliner Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez was another Performance bonus winner on Saturday. After controlling Roman Dolidze and wearing him down for three rounds, he secured a rear-naked choke in the fourth to end the fight inside the distance. “Secure” is a word we’re using loosely here, as Hernandez wasn’t in position, and in fact was still standing and stepping backwards when an exhausted Dolidze tapped.

Christian Leroy Duncan, who finished Eryk Anders, and Joselyn Edwards, for her stoppage of Priscila Cachoeira, were the remaining two bonus-winners on Saturday.

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Dolidze and “Fluffy” were neck-and-neck in the 185lb rankings, with Dolidze in the #9 spot, and Hernandez ranked at #10.

Just 15 seconds in, Hernandez changed levels, and Dolidze went to his back, threatening with a leg lock. That had Hernandez opting to pull back. The pair then exchanged low kicks, with Dolidze adding a couple of extras. A left hook followed for the Georgian, who had bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili in his corner on Saturday.

About 90 seconds in, Dolidze and Hernandez tied up along the fence after a pretty solid exchange. They would stay there for about 30 seconds, Dolidze proving to have a slight edge in strength. Hernandez, however, went to the head with his hands and the body with a kick moments that, then drove Dolidze into the fence before dragging the Georgian to his knees. Again, Dolidze attacked with the leg lock, forcing Hernandez to retreat once more.

Round two saw Dolidze touching Hernandez with inside leg kicks again, but Hernandez soon shot into a takedown. When Dolidze welcomed fighting off his back, Hernandez allowed him back up. “Fluffy” began mixing up his hands and kicks, with Dolidze answering care of some clubbing blows. Soon, Hernandez had drawn Dolidze into a brawl, and was walking forward, chirping and jawing at the Georgian. Hernandez then mixed things up, forcing a tiring Dolidze to the ground in what looked like an easy takedown. Then, Hernandez let him back up. Inside leg kick, combo, rinse, repeat for Hernandez. A couple of slick feints, a standing elbow, and another takedown hit the mark for Hernandez. Dolidze rolled into a leg lock, and Hernandez scrambled out of it.

The next exchange saw Dolidze hurt and retreating, only to be taken down again. Hernandez then went after a guillotine, though he was out of position for it. A knee to the body landed for Hernandez, who then went Donkey Kong on Dolidze. Ref Herb Dean then pulled Hernandez off, and he began celebrating, only for Dean to inform the corners that the fight was still on – the round was just over.

It was right back to the ground in round three, Dolidze giving up his back. Hernandez let him up again, just wearing the Georgian down. Hernandez then pinned Dolidze in against the fence, with Roman on one knee. Hernandez fired knees to the thigh, put his weight on Doldize, and got an arm around the neck briefly. Dolidze would escape, and even try to pull guard later in the round. Hernandez instead backed off, and landed a crisp right hand moments later. Then came another takedown by Hernandez, who got on top, landed an elbow, and put turned the heat up. Heading into round four, he was easily up 30-27.

In a round where Dolidze needed to start thinking about a finish, he instead found Hernandez draped all over him once more. Dolidze would try, in vain, to grab a leg. Instead, Hernandez softened his opponent up more with punches. And then let Dolidze up again, which was becoming downright cruel. On the next takedown attempt, Dolidze grabbed the fence, something he’d done earlier in the fight, leading ref Dean to say he was taking a point. It wouldn’t matter. Hernandez would land a knee, then grab the neck from behind, choking Dolidze and forcing the tap while still stepping backwards, in motion.

Official Result: Anthony Hernandez def. Roman Dolidze by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 4, 2:45

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