A big Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight fight is coming to Texas.
During the UFC 323 broadcast last night, the promotion announced that former UFC Middleweight champion Sean Strickland will collide with surging title hopeful Anthony Hernandez in the main event of UFC Houston on Sat., Feb. 21, 2025, inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
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The promotion sure did “get it booked, states.”
Strickland (29-7) returns after serving a six-month suspension for assaulting a regional fighter who defeated his teammate at a Tuff-N-Uff event this past June in Las Vegas (details here). Before being sidelined, “Tarzan” dropped a decisive unanimous decision to Dricus du Plessis in their heated rematch for the Middleweight title.
The outspoken 34-year-old is 2-2 in his last four outings, with signature wins over Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa mixed in between setbacks.
Hernandez (15-2) was on the doorstep of a title shot before withdrawing from a scheduled main event against Reinier de Ridder. Now, “Fluffy” gets a chance to secure his championship opportunity the hard way — by beating a former champion.
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“Fluffy” is riding an eight-fight win streak, the longest active run in the Middleweight division, with finishes in six of those victories. He most recently earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his four-round demolition — and eventual submission — of Roman Dolidze.
No other bouts have been announced for UFC Houston just yet, but expect more matchups in the coming weeks, likely featuring plenty of Texas-based talent.
To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.
