Ufc Fight Night: Strickland and Hernandez headline tight middleweight card in Houston

Emerson Raymont

Published: February 22, 2026 6:03 AM ET

Ufc Fight Night: Strickland and Hernandez headline tight middleweight card in Houston

Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez headlined a ufc fight night at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, with Hernandez riding an eight-fight win streak and Strickland returning after more than a year out of the octagon.

Ufc Fight Night main event: Strickland and Hernandez

The middleweight main event pitted former middleweight champion Sean Strickland against Anthony Hernandez. Strickland, 34 years old, has dropped two of his past three and was returning after recovering from injuries and serving a suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission. He lost the title to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 in January 2024, then rebounded with a decision win over Paulo Costa five months later at UFC 302. Strickland faced du Plessis again in a rematch at UFC 312 in February 2025 and dropped a lopsided unanimous decision in that championship rematch.

How the first two rounds unfolded

Hernandez, 32, entered the fight on an eight-fight winning streak, including a submission win against Roman Dolidze this past August in the UFC Vegas 109 headliner and a 2025 victory over Brendan Allen at UFC Seattle a year ago. FanDuel had Hernandez as the moderate favorite at -245 and Strickland at +200.

The referee for the main event was Herb Dean and the judges were Sal D’Amato, Chris Lee and Junichiro Kamijo. Hernandez drew a big response from the Houston crowd at Bruce Buffer’s introductions while Strickland received a mixed reaction.

Round 1: The fighters touched gloves and took the center. Strickland opened with his jab and a teep while Hernandez stalked forward and mixed a jab to the body with an inside leg kick. Strickland landed a sneaky uppercut and kept the volume with jabs; Hernandez landed a big combination that pinned Strickland on the fence before Strickland separated. Hernandez drilled three big rights that sent Strickland to the floor more as a slip than a knockdown. The round finished with Hernandez moving forward and a late flurry.

Round 2: The fighters smiled and touched gloves to start. Hernandez faked a takedown and landed a right hand; Strickland answered with a jab and a right. Hernandez marched forward with a hard combination and followed with a counter over the top while Strickland continued to land his jab.

Co-main and full-card results

The co-main featured Geoff Neal against Uros Medic. Final results from the card at the Toyota Center:

Uros Medic def. Geoff Neal first-round KO (1: 19). Melquizael Costa def. Dan Ige first-round TKO (4: 56). Serghei Spivac def. Ante Delija unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2). Jacobe Smith def. Josiah Harrell first-round KO (3: 01). Michel Pereira def. Zachary Reese split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29). Carlos Leal def. Chidi Njokuani unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2). Alibi Idiris def. Ode Osbourne unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x2). Alden Coria def. Luis Gurule unanimous decision (30-27 x3). Joselyne Edwards def. Nora Cornolle submission (RNC) (R2, 2: 44). Punahele Soriano def. Ramiz Brahimaj unanimous decision (29-28 x3). Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani def. Phil Rowe split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29). Jordan Leavitt def. Yadier del Valle unanimous decision (29-28 x3). Carli Judice def. Juliana Miller unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27).

Pre-fight narrative and a corner prediction

Strickland’s recent run included three wins in five fights before this card, while Hernandez had built momentum with the eight-fight streak. One pre-fight analysis in the build-up argued Hernandez would pressure Strickland against the fence with takedowns and mat returns, projecting a TKO finish for Hernandez in Round 4 if that strategy played out.