Anthony Hernandez

Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez is a methodical, submission-obsessed middleweight who has climbed from journeyman regional fighter to a top-6 UFC contender through relentless grappling and ground control. Born in Dunnigan, California, in 1993, Hernandez committed to fighting full-time at 15 and spent years grinding through Global Knockout and Legacy Fighting Alliance before earning his DWCS spot in 2018. His UFC debut came in February 2019, but early losses to Markus Perez and Kevin Holland (a brutal 39-second TKO) seemed to confirm his status as a depth fighter.

That narrative flipped spectacularly in February 2021 when Hernandez shocked the combat sports world by submitting five-time Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Rodolfo Vieira via guillotine choke at UFC 258, earning Performance of the Night honors. From that moment, he entered a stratospheric climb: eight consecutive victories, each punctuated by technical mastery—three more Performance bonuses for suffocating ground-and-pound displays and submission artistry (particularly rear-naked chokes and guillotines). By August 2025, after submitting Roman Dolidze in the fourth round of a main event, Hernandez had become the #6-ranked middleweight and a legitimate title-contention threat.

His style is the antithesis of modern MMA flash: constant pressure, heavy takedowns, and devastating top control, grinding opponents into submission or accumulated damage. He holds the UFC middleweight record for takedowns (54) and has recorded nine submission victories in 15 professional wins. In October 2024, his five-round annihilation of Michel Pereira—setting UFC records for significant ground strikes and takedown attempts—was named Sherdog's Beatdown of the Year, a crystallization of his relentless, methodical dominance.

That eight-fight win streak ended in February 2026 when he faced former middleweight champion Sean Strickland in a main event and was stopped via TKO in the third round, a significant setback that interrupted his momentum. Nevertheless, Hernandez remains one of the division's most technically proficient grapplers and a magnet for fans who crave old-school submission wrestling and positional control in an era increasingly dominated by striking and explosive takedowns.