Sean Strickland KOs Anthony Hernandez in Round 3, Immediately Calls Out Khamzat Chimaev
sean strickland returned in vintage fashion at UFC Houston, finishing Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez with a third-round stoppage that immediately put him back in the title conversation. The outcome matters because it halted Hernandez’s eight-fight streak, produced Strickland’s first stoppage since 2023, and set up a direct call for a shot at reigning middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.
Sean Strickland finishes Anthony Hernandez at the Toyota Center
Strickland, listed at a 30-7 record in the provided context, ended the main event with a flurry of strikes that forced the referee intervention at 2: 33 of Round 3. The sequence began with a knee to the body that visibly hurt Hernandez, followed by successive punches that prompted the stoppage. It was Strickland’s first fight after more than a year away from the cage; his most recent outing prior to this had been an early February 2025 loss to Dricus du Plessis in an unsuccessful attempt to regain the UFC middleweight title.
In the three-round bout, Strickland worked from range behind his jab and accumulated heavy volume over 15 minutes, while Hernandez, whose record stood at 15-3 with 1 no contest, offered surprisingly few grappling attempts. Hernandez found sporadic striking success in Round 2 but was unable to derail Strickland’s game plan, and the finish in Round 3 marked Hernandez’s third career loss by stoppage.
Anthony Hernandez’s contender trajectory halted after eight straight wins
Hernandez entered the night riding an eight-fight winning streak, the longest run in the division referenced in the available context. A victory over Strickland would likely have propelled Hernandez to a title opportunity against Chimaev, but the loss returns him to the drawing board. Observers had noted Hernandez’s pressure, grappling and cardio as strengths that would suit a five-round bid for contention; concerns about an unspecified recent injury were also mentioned in the build-up.
Uros Medic scores rapid knockout of Geoff Neal
The co-main event crowned Uros Medic with a highlight-reel left hook to the temple that put veteran welterweight Geoff Neal out just 79 seconds into Round 1. Medic’s performance, reflected in a 13-3 record in the context, was described as star-making. Neal, listed at 16-8, suffered his second straight UFC loss and his fourth defeat in his last five bouts. Background commentary had framed the pairing as intriguing because Medic rarely goes past the early rounds; the predictions noted he had only once fought beyond the second round prior to this night.
Melquizael Costa extends streak; Jacobe Smith and others earn bonuses
Featherweight Melquizael Costa kept ascending with a late first-round spinning back kick to the face that finished Dan Ige. Costa’s record was cited as 25-7, and the win extended his streak to six. Dan Ige’s record in the provided context stood at 19-10. In the post-fight bonus announcements, Strickland, Medic, Costa and Jacobe Smith each received $100, 000 performance bonuses.
Event timing, streaming and title implications
The event schedule in the available material listed an eight-fight early preliminary card beginning at 5 p. m. ET and a six-fight main card beginning at 8 p. m. ET, with the full event streaming live on Paramount+. The timing around the event date is unclear in the provided context: one item lists the card on Saturday, Feb. 21, while social timestamps included Feb. 22, 2026.
After the stoppage, Strickland kept his post-fight demand concise, saying he wants a shot at the division’s undefeated king, Khamzat Chimaev. What makes this notable is that three of Strickland’s previous four fights had title implications, he has lost twice to Dricus du Plessis, and his earlier victories over Paulo Costa and a headline upset of Israel Adesanya were cited as reasons promoters continue to view him as a contender. The win in Houston repositions him immediately as a viable challenger for Chimaev and reshuffles short-term contender math in the middleweight division.
