Anthony Hernandez may have come up short in the UFC Sacramento main event, but the fan-favorite middleweight left the Octagon with plenty to be proud of—and one major complaint.
Hernandez went toe-to-toe with Gregory Rodrigues in a brutal five-round battle on Saturday night. While Rodrigues ultimately earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory, both fighters walked away with Fight of the Night honors and a $100,000 bonus for their efforts.
Competing in front of his hometown crowd in Sacramento, Anthony Hernandez showcased his trademark toughness and heart despite suffering his second consecutive defeat.
“A dream come true,” Hernandez said during the post-fight press conference. “Obviously, I’ve got to get back to work and clean some stuff up. Next time I’ll give you guys a win. I promise.
“The crowd support was a blessing. It was crazy. That’s what kept me going. I couldn’t give up. That stuff hurt like a b*tch. It still hurts. I feel so honored to have that much love. Hopefully, they come back to Sacramento so I can put on another show. I’d love to give you guys more wars like that.”
Although Hernandez praised Rodrigues for his toughness, he wasn’t happy with what he believes were illegal tactics during key grappling exchanges.
According to Hernandez, Rodrigues repeatedly grabbed the inside of his gloves during the fight. He said he alerted veteran referee Herb Dean multiple times, but no points were deducted.
“The more I saw him slow down, I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to get him this round,’” Hernandez explained. “I hit him with everything and the kitchen sink. I landed some hard elbows, but he’s a tough son of a b*tch.
“But he was cheating and grabbing the inside of my gloves, and I told Herb that. I fight clean, man. It is what it is. Maybe I should be more dirty.”
“I told Herb, ‘This motherf*cker grabbed my glove like four times.’ I said, ‘Hey, he’s grabbing my gloves,’ and Herb told him, ‘Hey, stop.’But they didn’t take a point or anything. Whatever. I guess some people like to cheat. It is what it is.”
The fight became even more difficult for Anthony Hernandez after Rodrigues targeted his legs early and repeatedly landed damaging calf kicks. The attacks forced Hernandez to make adjustments on the fly and switch stances throughout the contest.
Despite the adversity, Hernandez nearly turned the tide in the second round when he hurt Rodrigues and pushed for a finish. However, “Robocop” weathered the storm and continued to land powerful shots of his own.
“I hurt my leg early, had to make adjustments, and had to do what I had to do to survive at that point,” Hernandez said.“Gregory is a tough son of a b*tch, and he hits hard. You’ve seen what he does to people. He puts guys to sleep. I was still smiling and still coming forward.
“I love people trying to hurt me. I don’t know what it is. I’m a sick f*ck in the head, but I love this sport.”
Hernandez also revealed that he dealt with a shoulder injury during training camp, which limited parts of his preparation. Still, he refused to make excuses and accepted responsibility for the result.
