Sean Strickland and Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez have both made weight for their main event bout at UFC Houston, with Strickland admitting the weight cut was harder on him than any fight could be.
Strickland stepped on the scale first and hit 185lb on the dot — going one pound under the non-title limit in what reads as a statement of intent from the former middleweight champion. Hernandez made use of the extra allowance and came in at 186lb, making the fight officially on for Saturday night.
Strickland's Brutal Cut
The road to the scale was not easy for Strickland, who has been out of action for over a year since losing his title rematch with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 last February. During his absence, his weight ballooned to a reported 230lb — nearly two full weight classes above the 185lb middleweight limit.
Strickland shared a video on his Instagram story the night before weigh-ins showing the toll the cut was taking. He posted screenshots of an intense two-hour workout that burned 1,214 calories, with his heart rate climbing from a resting 38bpm to highs of 141bpm during the hardest stretches.
"This is what we really get paid to do," Strickland told his followers. "Cutting weight is worse than the fight, but we are almost there."
It's not the first time Strickland has struggled with the middleweight limit. Earlier in his career he competed at welterweight, and in 2023 he took a short-notice fight at 204lb after insisting he couldn't reach 185lb in time. His success at middleweight has kept him in the division, but getting back down after a year at 230lb is a different kind of challenge.
What's at Stake Saturday
Despite the drama surrounding his cut, Strickland arrived at the scale in good shape and ready to go. With Nassourdine Imavov as the current top contender for Khamzat Chimaev's middleweight title, a statement win for Strickland — the last man to defeat Imavov, back in January 2023 — would put him firmly back in the title picture.
Hernandez enters on an eight-fight winning streak, including victories over Brendan Allen and Roman Dolidze, and is favored by the oddsmakers heading into Saturday night in Houston.