Anthony Hernandez will look to establish himself as the next middleweight title challenger when he takes on former 185-pound champion Sean Strickland atop the upcoming UFC Houston fight card, recently made official for Paramount+ on Sat., Feb. 21, 2026 inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Hernandez will be representing Mexico on his way to the Octagon — after jumping through a few hoops.
“They almost didn’t let me walk out to represent Mexico anymore, because I had to show a proof of residency,” Hernandez told Ariel Helwani. “I had to go jump through some hoops real quick and had to find my grandparents’ birth certificates and show that they’re from Mexico and that I can represent. I mean, my dad’s from there. My mom’s family is from there. That’s my heritage, you know what I mean? On my dad’s side, I’m technically first generation because he was smuggled in. Then on mom’s side, I’m second generation.”
UFC can’t seem to figure out a flag policy that works and has already changed it twice.
“I grew up super Mexican so to me, that’s my pride, you know what I mean? Like, I carry a lot of pride with that,” Hernandez continued. “My grandpa had five boys and then he smuggled four of them across the border to Texas, so my dad had two birthdays growing up. I’d for sure want to go out there. I’ve had talks with my mom to figure out how to get a house out there. I would love to go out there and train at the P.I. and sh*t.”
Hernandez (15-2, 1 NC) has looked unstoppable over the last five years, racking up eight straight wins with six nasty finishes. That includes his submission victory over veteran bruiser Roman Dolidze last August in Las Vegas. A big performance over Strickland is likely to land “Fluffy” the next middleweight title shot.
