UFC Houston live results: Sean Strickland knocks out Anthony Hernandez; anthony hernandez fight-by-fight recap
Sean Strickland scored a third-round stoppage of anthony hernandez in the main event at the Toyota Center, finishing the bout at 2: 33 of Round 3. The loss halted Hernandez's eight-fight win streak and marked a significant moment in a card that began at 8 p. m. ET and featured a six-fight main card.
Main event finish details
Sean Strickland ended the fight with a flurry of strikes after Hernandez wilted off a knee to the body, then absorbed a sequence of punches that prompted the referee stoppage at the official time of 2: 33 of Round 3. Strickland used his signature jab throughout the fight while Hernandez offered surprisingly few grappling attempts. Hernandez found moments with his striking in Round 2 that did not alter Strickland's game plan. The defeat was Hernandez's third loss stoppage.
Anthony Hernandez post-fight reaction
After the stoppage, Strickland targeted the division's champion, calling out Khamzat Chimaev and saying he "wants a piece" of the division's undefeated king. Hernandez now must go back to the drawing board after what coverage described as a devastating defeat.
Strickland's comeback and record
Strickland returned after more than a year away from the cage and scored his first stoppage since 2023. One account listed his record as 30-7, and another listed him as 29-7; the two pieces of coverage provided both figures. His previous fight was a loss in early February 2025 to then-champion Dricus du Plessis in a failed bid to regain the UFC middleweight title. The main event had been billed as a top-five matchup with Strickland and Hernandez identified as No. 3 and No. 4 in one pre-fight listing.
Co-main Medic vs Neal details
In the co-main, Uros Medic (13-3) delivered a left hook to the temple that knocked Geoff Neal (16-8) out 79 seconds into the opening round. The knockout was decisive and marked Neal's second consecutive UFC loss and his fourth loss in his past five bouts. One pre-fight listing had Neal as a -198 favorite as the Austin native looked to win in his home state.
MMA model odds and projections
Pre-fight odds and model projections were prominent in build-up coverage. In one set of odds, Hernandez was the -270 favorite while Strickland was the +220 underdog. A computer model run by Mike McClure was noted for running 10, 000 simulations per fight, playing out fights round-by-round with dynamic win probability and finish calculations. The model was said to have been backtested against more than 500 fights from 2023-25 and to have shown more than 18 units of profit, a 6. 1% ROI. The model had an early success for the new broadcast era by hitting Justin Gaethe to win outright (+195) and the Over in the main event at UFC 324. One of the model's top picks for this card backed Over 1. 5 rounds (+4. 2% edge) in Geoff Neal vs. Uros Medic, returning +130, and the model's analyst said, "The defensive metrics and pacing profiles suggest exchanges will be more measured early which increases the chance the fight extends. " The model was also targeting several underdogs and a best bet that returned over +500.
Other finishes and bonuses
Elsewhere on the card, Melquizael Costa (25-7) scored a late first-round spinning back kick to the face against Dan Ige (19-10), extending Costa's win streak to six. Performance bonuses of $100, 000 were awarded to Strickland, Medic, Costa and Jacobe Smith.
Other pre-fight listings on the card included a lone heavyweight bout between Serghei Spivac and Ante Delija shown at -118 in one set of odds. The event was presented as a Fight Night headlined by Strickland vs. Hernandez and composed of a six-fight main card that began at 8 p. m. ET from the Toyota Center. Some coverage dated the showcase to February 21 while social posts from the aftermath carried a February 22, 2026 timestamp.
Full UFC Houston results and highlights were compiled across the evening, with the main event stoppage, the 79-second co-main knockout and Costa's spinning kick among the night's decisive moments.
Closing concise note: Sean Strickland's third-round stoppage of anthony hernandez at 2: 33 of Round 3 ended Hernandez's eight-fight win streak, delivered Strickland's first stoppage since 2023, and left Hernandez to regroup after a third stoppage loss; the card also featured a 79-second knockout by Uros Medic and multiple $100, 000 performance bonuses.
