UFC middleweight contender Anthony Hernandez has a firm eye on Dricus Du Plessis and his gold.
The fan favorite boosted his chances of booking a spot opposite the reigning champion at 185 pounds down the line on Saturday night's UFC Fight Night card at the Apex, where he emerged victorious from his maiden main event.
Hernandez emphatically ended the winning run of Michel Pereira, putting a beating on the Brazilian across four rounds before forcing the TKO stoppage in the final frame.
During his post-fight press conference, Hernandez outlined his plans to repeat the performance he put in all the way to the top.
When he gets there, the current title scenario in the middleweight division would see the #13-ranked contender challenge the reign of Du Plessis, which commenced at the expense of Sean Strickland at the start of 2024 and has already gone through Israel Adesanya.
Hernandez looked ahead to a potential clash with "Stillknocks" in the future with a respectful assessment of the champ's style, which has continually proved fans and analysts wrong on MMA's biggest stage.
I think it would be a great fight. Realistically, who mixes it up really well would be Du Plessis," Hernandez said. "He mixes it very f*cking well, and that’s why he’s champion right now. He’s just a tough motherf*cker and he goes. He looks like he’s gassed and he keeps pushing. I’d love to fight him. I’m just going to keep climbing the ladder so I can get to him. Great job to him. Keep up the great work, man.
Hernandez would seem to have a decent chunk of work to do before standing opposite the middleweight kingpin, however.
And after defending his spot on the ladder this past weekend to make it six wins on the bounce, the 31-year-old will no doubt be setting his sights on the top 10 next time out.