This is a big weekend for Strickland. The former 185-pound titleholder is just 1-2 in his last three trips to the cage and looking to turn in a memorable return to the win column in order to land a spot on UFC’s White House card. Strickland will have to defy the odds considering Hernandez is a sizeable betting favorite for UFC Houston’s main event, but the brash middleweight contender has pulled off some improbable performances in the past.
Unfortunately for Strickland, he didn’t have the greatest cut down to 185 pounds in advance to Saturday’s five-round headliner. Strickland walks around pretty heavy outside of camp so he’s never one for an easy weight cut. However, this week’s cut seemed worse than most. Even Strickland admitted the weight cut is worse than the actual fight before revealing he was experiencing “double vision” and “can only see out of one eye.”
“I can only see out of one eye. I have like double vision,” said Strickland. “I think that’s the worst part about cutting weight. Always having to walk with one eye closed.”
“This is really what we get paid to do is cutting weight,” he later added. “It’s worse than the fight.”
UFC Houston will go down tomorrow night (Sat., Feb. 21, 2026) LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Toyota Center in Houston, Tex., with Strickland vs. Hernandez serving as the main event. The winner could line themselves up for the next shot at UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.
