Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez arrived at UFC Houston media day with one message: he's not here to survive a main event, he's here to take over the UFC middleweight division.
In a sit-down with Full Send MMA's Shawny Mack, Hernandez laid out his strategy against former champion Sean Strickland and made clear the stakes couldn't feel higher to him heading into Saturday night.
I don't know what I'm going to get, but at the end of the day I'm going to cut off the cage and I'm going to stay in his face and make him hate his life and regret calling me out," Hernandez said. "I need that spot. I need this belt. This is the perfect fight for me.
Who Goes Backwards First?
Much of the pre-fight chatter around this matchup has centered on which version of Strickland shows up. Will it be the aggressive pressure fighter or the more passive, disengaged version that appeared in some recent bouts? Hernandez isn't building a game plan around either option. He's focused on imposing his own.
He says he always brings it and he comes forward. We'll see who goes backwards first.
His strategy is built on cage-cutting — suffocating Strickland's ability to create distance and making the fight ugly and physical from the opening bell. The main event is five rounds, which plays directly into Hernandez's relentless pace.
More Than a Grappler
Hernandez has built his eight-fight win streak largely on the strength of his wrestling and grinding pressure, but he pushed back firmly on being labeled a one-dimensional fighter. Against Strickland, he says, fans are going to see the full package.
Everybody knows me as this grappling guy, but I've said it myself — I like to strike. I'm really good at grappling, but that's just what I've done to win," he said. "And now I finally get a guy that I can strike with. I'm planning on giving everyone a show. I'm going to go out there and show that I know how to do martial arts at the highest level of MMA. I'm going to mix it up and I'm going to keep it nasty. I'm going to make his life hell.
Strickland, meanwhile, has said publicly he believes he's the better wrestler and predicts the fight becomes a kickboxing match. Hernandez isn't buying it — but he's also not spending energy on the back-and-forth. His focus is the performance.
Tune in. It's two violent motherf***ers getting to face each other. I hope you guys enjoy the show.
UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Hernandez goes down Saturday, February 21 from Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, streaming live on Paramount+. The winner is widely expected to be next in line for Khamzat Chimaev's UFC Middleweight Championship.