Sean Strickland knocks out Anthony Hernandez, calls out Khamzat Chimaev at UFC Houston
sean strickland returned in vintage fashion at UFC Houston, stopping Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez in Round 3 at the Toyota Center and immediately aiming for a fight with reigning middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev. The win ends Hernandez’s eight-fight streak and reshuffles the division’s contender conversation coming out of the event.
Main event finish at the Toyota Center: third-round stoppage, 2: 33 of Round 3
The former UFC middleweight champion produced his first stoppage since 2023, halting Hernandez with a flurry of strikes after a knee to the body opened the sequence. The official time of the stoppage was 2: 33 of Round 3. Strickland, who entered the night with a 30-7 record, had not fought for more than a year; he last competed in early February 2025, losing a lackluster effort to then-champion Dricus du Plessis in a failed bid to regain the title.
Fighting under the nickname "Tarzan, " Strickland used his signature jab and heavy volume across three rounds. Hernandez, listed at 15-3 with one no-contest, offered surprisingly few grappling attempts and was unable to turn stretches of striking success in Round 2 into sustained offense. The stoppage marked Hernandez’s third loss by stoppage and ended his eight-fight winning run.
Sean Strickland calls out Khamzat Chimaev after the win
In the post-fight interview Strickland kept his request short and blunt, saying he "wants a piece" of the division's undefeated king, Khamzat Chimaev. The victory immediately placed Strickland back into title-picture talk; a win over Strickland would likely have earned Hernandez a shot at Chimaev, a route that evaporated with Saturday’s result.
Uros Medic dismantles Geoff Neal in 79 seconds
The co-main event produced a shocker: Uros Medic, now 13-3, landed a cracking left hook to the temple that knocked Geoff Neal, 16-8, out cold just 79 seconds into the opening round. The finish was described as a star-making performance for Medic. It was Neal’s second consecutive UFC loss and his fourth defeat in his past five bouts. Observers had noted Medic has only fought past the second round once in his career.
Preview coverage had framed the pairing as a compelling mismatch, and Medic’s quick finish followed questions about Neal’s recent form, including a potentially career-changing knockout loss to Carlos Prates referenced in the buildup.
Melquizael Costa’s spinning kick and the bonus payouts
Elsewhere on the card, Melquizael Costa (25-7) continued his climb, facing perennial top-15 contender Dan Ige (19-10). Costa scored a stunning late first-round spinning back kick to the face that extended his win streak to six. That finish, alongside the finishes from Strickland and Medic, earned performance recognition: Strickland, Medic, Costa and Jacobe Smith each received $100, 000 performance bonuses.
Pre-fight expectations, the title picture and event timing
The main event had been pitched as a title-elimination fight: both Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez were presented in previews as men angling for another shot at gold. Hernandez entered on an eight-fight run, the longest streak in the division, while Strickland was described as remaining in the middleweight title picture despite controversy outside the cage; a preview even characterized his public comments as "pervasively disgusting, ignorant, and frankly, dull" while noting he remains a favorite of matchmakers.
Pre-fight notes also listed that three of Strickland’s past four fights had gold on the line, that he has fallen to Dricus du Plessis (with one preview saying he has lost to du Plessis twice), and that he had made easy work of Paulo Costa and produced a shocking upset of Israel Adesanya earlier in his career. Analysts argued that Hernandez’s non-stop pressure would present an intriguing stylistic test against Chimaev’s wrestling, and a prediction line suggested that, with apologies to Nassourdine Imavov, the winner could emerge as the new No. 1 contender at 185 pounds by week’s end.
A preview listed the event date as Saturday, Feb. 21, with the eight-fight early preliminary card beginning at 5 p. m. ET and the six-fight main card at 8 p. m. ET; the event was presented live on a subscription streaming service. A social-media post on February 22, 2026 celebrated Strickland’s "statement" performance following the event night.
