Strickland crushes Hernandez with third-round TKO in Houston. Sean Strickland dominated the Octagon in Houston, leaving Anthony Hernandez no answers to his sharp strikes and relentless pressure. The veteran middleweight sealed a commanding third-round TKO, thrilling the crowd and cementing his victory.
On Saturday, February 21, 2026, the Octagon lit up the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, as UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Hernandez delivered a charged night of action deep in the heart of Texas. With a roaring Houston crowd setting the tone, the main event spotlight shined bright as two hungry contenders stepped forward looking to make a statement in the middleweight division.
Sean Strickland has been fighting the best guys in the division. In September 2023, he shocked the world when he beat Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision to win the UFC middleweight title at UFC 293. That was the biggest win of his career. In January 2024, he lost the belt to Dricus du Plessis by split decision at UFC 297 in a very close fight. He bounced back in June 2024 with a split-decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302. Then in February 2025, he got a rematch with du Plessis at UFC 312 but lost again by unanimous decision after five rounds. So coming into Houston, Strickland had gone 1-2 in his last three fights but those losses were in title fights against elite competition.
Anthony Hernandez came in with serious momentum. He was riding an eight-fight win streak, one of the longest active streaks in the division. In February 2024, he submitted Roman Kopylov at UFC 298, in October 2024, he stopped Michel Pereira by TKO in a main event and earned a Performance of the Night bonus. In February 2025, he beat Brendan Allen by unanimous decision in a strong grappling performance then in August 2025, he submitted Roman Dolidze with a rear-naked choke. Hernandez had not lost since 2020 and kept finishing or controlling tough middleweights.
The two fighters touched gloves and the fight got underway. Both men took the center of the cage immediately, with Sean Strickland pumping out his trademark jab and mixing in a teep kick. Anthony Hernandez began pressing forward while Strickland worked behind the jab. Hernandez fired a jab to the body and followed it with an inside leg kick.
Hernandez started a bit slow, as he often does, but Strickland kept scoring with his jab. Hernandez answered with a clean right hand while moving forward. Strickland landed another sharp jab, had the second one blocked, and Hernandez began finding his rhythm.
Strickland snuck in a quick uppercut, then clipped Hernandez with a shot that made him laugh it off before responding strong in the exchange. Hernandez let his hands go with a big combination, backing Strickland up to the fence. Strickland managed to circle away and reset. He stuck another jab, but Hernandez exploded with three hard right hands in a row. Strickland hit the canvas, though it looked more like a slip than a knockdown. It was a very close round in the final minute, with both men having their moments.
Round 2 started and Hernandez opened with a smart fake level change into a right hand. Strickland answered with his steady jab and followed it with a right of his own. Hernandez kept marching forward and landed a hard combination, then came back with a sharp counter over the top. Strickland stayed disciplined, sticking to his jab, but when Hernandez connected, he was throwing with more power and intent. Hernandez briefly tied Strickland up, but Strickland pulled free and returned to his jab. Hernandez then landed a clean jab of his own, and after Strickland scored upstairs, Fluffy dug a nice shot to the body in response. They traded along the fence before separating again. Strickland continued pumping the jab, while Hernandez appeared loose and playful at times.
Round 3 started and Hernandez came out and landed a combination, but Strickland stayed behind his steady rhythm and defended well. Hernandez managed to tie him up along the fence and even clipped him with a short elbow as they broke. Then everything changed. Strickland drove a sharp knee into the body, and Hernandez immediately looked hurt. Sensing the moment, Strickland surged forward with punches, dropping Hernandez to the canvas. He followed up aggressively on the ground, and referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight.
The loss ends Hernandez’s recent win streak as he goes back to the drawing board after coming up short in his biggest opportunity to date in the UFC. “His boxing [surprised me], a tough motherf*cker dude,” Strickland said after his win. “You have some solid boxing, no one ever told me. No part of you was slowing down but you were getting a little bit sloppy. He’s a f*cking savage. That was a f*cking war. I respect the hell out of you.”
“Chimaev probably gets off the bench. I’d like to piece that little Chechen whore,” Strickland said. “You never know with him. You never know with that guy but that’s what I want.”
“I thought it was going good,” Hernandez said about his performance. “I got sloppy, got caught with the f*cking knee up the middle. Just time to get back to work.”
