Strickland Vs Hernandez: Sean Strickland stops Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston
Strickland Vs Hernandez ended with Sean Strickland halting Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez by TKO at the Toyota Center, an emphatic return that finished at 2: 33 of Round 3 and left Strickland calling out reigning champion Khamzat Chimaev.
Strickland Vs Hernandez ends at 2: 33 of Round 3
Sean Strickland returned in vintage fashion Saturday night at UFC Houston, scoring his first stoppage since 2023 when he halted Hernandez with a flurry of strikes in Round 3. The official time of the stoppage was 2: 33 of Round 3 at the Toyota Center. Strickland (30-7) had been out of the cage for more than a year; his most recent bout before Houston came in early February 2025, when he lost to then-champion Dricus du Plessis in a failed bid to regain the UFC middleweight title.
How the finish unfolded at the Toyota Center
Fighting as "Tarzan, " Strickland worked behind his signature jab and peppered Hernandez (15-3, 1 NC) with heavy volume over three rounds. Hernandez, the sizable favorite coming in, offered surprisingly few grappling attempts; he found moments with his striking in Round 2 but nothing that derailed Strickland's measured game plan. In the third frame, Hernandez wilted off a knee to the body and then absorbed a flurry of punches that produced the stoppage. The loss marked Hernandez's third career defeat by stoppage.
Co-main and other big finishes
In the co-main event, Uros Medic (13-3) delivered a highlight knockout, landing a left hook to the temple that put veteran Geoff Neal (16-8) out 79 seconds into the opening round. That result was Neal's second consecutive UFC loss and his fourth defeat in his last five bouts. 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 his impressive win streak.
Bonuses, calls for title shots and the aftermath
Post-fight, Strickland used his interview to target reigning middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev, saying he "wants a piece" of the division's undefeated king. Performance bonuses of $100, 000 were awarded to Strickland, Medic, Costa and Jacobe Smith.
What the preseason preview said about the Houston card
A UFC preview that looked at the 14-fight card noted the event resembled a show one might expect at the Apex. The preview highlighted Hernandez's all-action, grappling-heavy style and cited an average of 144. 2 DraftKings points across his last three fights. It also described Strickland as a measured fighter with solid takedown defense and the ability to get back to his feet when grounded, which factored into a projection that Hernandez would try to swarm him.
Other matchup notes and fighter sketches from the preview
The preview offered portraits of several other fighters on the card: Costa was praised for marrying range striking with grappling; the feature noted Dan Ige faced a three-inch height disadvantage. Jacobe Smith, nicknamed "Cobe, " was described as fast and powerful but prone to overextending. Discussion of Pereira and Zachary Reese included that Pereira had lost his last three fights and that Reese would be more popular as a dog play. The preview mentioned Yadier Del Valle's win over Isaac Dulgarian and referenced suspicious heavy betting tied to that fight. It also flagged Jordan Leavitt as a grappler who would try to put opponents on the back foot, called Ramiz Brahimaj a powerful grappler with a strong guillotine, and noted Soriano had been submitted just once in 16 fights. The preview recalled Brahimaj being dominated by committed wrestlers Themba Gorimbo and Court McGee. It described Luis Gurule as a functional boxer and wrestler and said Coria would look to crowd the space and work grappling against Gurule, who struggled in the clinch against Jesus Aguilar. On the women's side, Edwards was credited with mixing wrestling with kickboxing and Nora Cornolle was described as having been controlled on the ground against Hailey Cowan before she rallied.
Unclear in the provided context is any confirmed scheduling for a Strickland title shot against Khamzat Chimaev; Strickland has publicly requested another shot at the belt but the next official booking or date stemming from that request is unclear in the provided context.
