Anthony Hernandez vs. Sean Strickland squared off in a Middleweight bout earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 21, 2026) at UFC Houston inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. In a stellar showing, Strickland returned to the win column with a surprise stoppage victory.
Strickland worked to establish the jab early while Hernandez pressured. “Fluffy” attacked the lead leg and jabbed to the body, trying to close the distance. A couple minutes into the fight, Strickland’s jab was starting to land well. On the back foot, Strickland landed a nice right hand that got his opponent’s attention. Hernandez flurried with a combination and then attacked the takedown for the first time, but his shot was stuffed. Another couple right hands landed well for the wrestler, briefly stumbling the former champion. All told, it was a competitive first frame, as Strickland won the first half clearly before Hernandez landed well late.
Strickland continued to stick and move into the second. Hernandez hunted for the right hand but was falling behind on the volume game. Strickland wasn’t landing much beyond the jab, but it definitely the best weapon between the two. “Fluffy” attempted a takedown then landed an uppercut on the break. Strickland scored with a nice 1-2 off the back foot. There was a bit of clinch work in the closing minute, but neither man could get much going to conclude a clear Strickland round.
Hernandez upped the pressure in the third, creating more exchanges as a result. “Fluffy” walked into a nasty knee to the body that hurt him, and Strickland turned up the heat! The former champion went on the offensive and flurried, throwing punches-in-bunches to stay on his wounded opponent. Hernandez tried to swing back, but he eventually crumbled under the cumulative damage.
Without a doubt, this is some of the best work of Strickland’s career. He was incredibly effective with the jab and shut down Hernandez’s vaunted wrestling with relative ease thanks to his excellent body positioning and cage awareness. He took a few right hands early, but Strickland soon adjusted his defense and was difficult to hit while staying offense.
To his credit, this was a more aggressive Strickland as well. He threw the right a bit more often to great results, and when he hurt “Fluffy” to the body, he didn’t hold back in his swarm. The Middleweight title picture is in a strange place right now with Khamzat rumored to leave the division, but there’s no denying Strickland is right back in the mix after this impressive win.
Result: Sean Strickland defeats Anthony Hernandez via third-round knockout
