Strickland Vs Hernandez: Sean Strickland Dominates in Third-Round TKO at UFC Houston

In the main event billed as strickland vs hernandez, Sean Strickland stopped Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez in the third round at the Toyota Center in Houston, ending Hernandez’s eight-fight win streak and altering the middleweight picture. The outcome matters immediately: Strickland used the win to press for another title opportunity against current champion Khamzat Chimaev.

Strickland Vs Hernandez: how the finish unfolded

Strickland closed the fight with a knee to the body followed by a flurry of punches that forced a stoppage in Round 3. The bout narrative showed Strickland working behind his signature jab and heavy volume across three rounds while Hernandez offered minimal grappling attempts and retreated at times. The official time of the stoppage is unclear in the provided context, listed as 2: 33 and 2: 23 of the third round.

Both fighters’ records appear in the context in differing formats: Strickland is listed as 30-7 and elsewhere as 30-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC; Hernandez is listed as 15-3, 1 NC and elsewhere as 15-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC. Hernandez’s loss ended an eight-fight winning run and was his first defeat since May 2020, his first UFC defeat in more than five years, and his third career stoppage loss.

Sean Strickland: comeback, records and championship demand

Strickland’s victory was his first stoppage since 2023 and his first knockout in more than two years, marking his first win since June 2024 in one account. The fight was also the former champion’s first cage appearance after more than a year away; he last competed in early February 2025, when he lost to Dricus du Plessis in a failed bid to regain the UFC middleweight title. After the win, Strickland publicly targeted reigning champion Khamzat Chimaev, saying he “wants a piece” of the division’s undefeated king and signaling his intent to press for a title shot.

Strickland, identified in the context with the nickname “Tarzan, ” also offered praise for Hernandez in post-fight remarks, calling him a model of stability and hard work. Hernandez responded that he believed the fight was even heading into Round 3 and said it was "time to get back to work. " Strickland’s age is listed as 34 in the provided material.

Impact on Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez’s trajectory

Hernandez’s eight-fight streak was halted, costing momentum that a win likely would have converted into a title opportunity against Chimaev. The defeat forces Hernandez back to the drawing board after his first loss since May 2020 and his first UFC defeat in more than five years, with the context noting that the setback removes an immediate path toward a championship shot.

Uros Medic’s 79-second knockout and Melquizael Costa’s spinning kick

On the same card, Serbian welterweight Uros Medic delivered a left hook to the temple that finished Geoff Neal in 79 seconds of Round 1. Medic’s record appears as 13-3 and also as 13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC; Neal is listed as 16-8 and also as 16-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC. Neal suffered his second consecutive UFC loss and, in one account, his fourth loss in five bouts.

Featherweight Melquizael Costa landed a spinning back kick to the head that stopped Dan Ige at 4: 56 of the first round, identified as the sixth spinning back-kick TKO in UFC history and extending Costa’s win streak to six in one account. Records for Costa and Ige are presented differently in the context (Costa 25-7 and 26-7; Ige 19-10 and 19-11). The finish was Ige’s first knockout loss in the material provided.

Bonuses, Jacobe Smith and other card results

Performance bonuses of $100, 000 were awarded to Strickland, Medic, Costa and Jacobe Smith. Smith, an unbeaten prospect at 12-0 MMA, needed 3: 01 of the first round to stop UFC debutant Josiah Harrell (11-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), marking his third UFC victory and ninth career KO/TKO.

Further results on the main card included Michel Pereira edging Zachary Reese by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) to snap a three-fight skid; Pereira is listed as 32-14 MMA, 10-5 UFC and Reese as 10-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC. Moldovan heavyweight Serghei Spivac defeated Ante Delija by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) to snap a two-fight losing streak and record his first win since August 2024; Spivac’s record is shown as 18-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC, while Delija is listed as 26-8 MMA, 1-2 UFC and noted to have lost back-to-back fights since his UFC debut win last September.

Brief notes from broader MMA coverage in the provided material: Rousey is set to return to MMA on May 16 in California to challenge Carano; Alexander Volkanovski retained the UFC featherweight title by unanimous decision over Diego Lopes in Australia; Paddy Pimblett’s nine-fight winning streak ended in a bloody matchup with an American icon; and IIia Topuria paused competition in November to address what he called an attempted extortion. What makes this notable is how quickly one night’s results remade title pathways and reaffirmed finishing ability across multiple divisions.