Just a few months ago many considered Anthony Hernandez to be the boogeyman of the middleweight, touted by many as having the potential to be UFC champion.
Now, Hernandez (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is another example of how quickly and radically things can change in MMA, because he’s suddenly on a two-fight losing skid after falling short against Gregory Rodrigues (20-6 MMA, 11-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 285 headliner at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif.
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It was a tough fight for “Fluffy,” who was chopped down by leg kicks, had the majority of his takedowns stuffed, then became something of a target practice for Rodrigues en route to a unanimous decision defeat.
Any of the fear or aura that was attached to Hernandez to start 2026, when he was riding an eight-fight winning streak at 185 pounds, was deflated in February when he was stopped by Sean Strickland in their main event. It’s now been smashed apart with the loss to Rodrigues, leaving questions about what Hernandez’s ceiling truly looks like in this division.
It’s got to be a tough pill to swallow, too. Hernandez seemingly did all the right things after losing to Strickland. He put ego aside and went to train in Las Vegas alongside the now-champ, taking weeks away from his family and focusing solely on improvement.
It did not lead to the result he wanted, and now it remains to be seen how Hernandez will react. He’s going to get another tough fight next, and will likely have to prove he’s still worthy of a top 10 ranking at middleweight.
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A compelling matchup could come against Ikram Aliskerov (18-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who is riding a three-fight winning streak against Brunno Ferreira, JunYong Park and Andre Muniz. The Russian has put in the work to get another prime opportunity after rebuilding from a short-notice main event loss to Robert Whittaker in June 2024, and Hernandez would present the chance to take his name into a more prominent position.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Anthony Hernandez after UFC Sacramento loss?
