By the end of 2025, Anthony Hernandez hopes to be fighting for a UFC title.
Riding a six-fight win streak, ‘Fluffy’ will head to Seattle, Washington on February 22 for a long-awaited rematch with middleweight standout Brendan Allen. The last time Hernandez and Allen met inside the cage was under the LFA banner in January 2018. On that night, Hernandez scored a unanimous decision victory over ‘All In.’
Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez(5-0) vs Brendan “All In” Allen(8-2)
LFA 32: Allen vs Hernandez
January 26th 2018 pic.twitter.com/Jivxl6Z3nS
— Underrated Tribal Chief (@MMAUnderrated) October 18, 2024
This time, he’s coming for the finish.
“I’m coming for a finish, man,” Hernandez told James Lynch in a MiddleEasy exclusive interview. “Last time I f*cked around too much. I was not in good shape, cramping during the fight. I’m coming to make a statement. He obviously called me out, he wants a smoke back and this is his chance to f*ck me up and I’m not gonna let that sh*t happen.
“I need to come out there, get a finish, make a statement, and then hopefully I can get someone in that top three or four spot down there to prove myself [for a] title shot.”
With him setting his sights on a title fight in 2025, ‘Fluffy’ will undoubtedly have his eyes locked on the highly anticipated rematch between reigning 185-pound king Dricus Du Plessis and ex-champion Sean Strickland.
“[Du Plessis] just took him down more, right? Controlled the positions and got [Strickland] tired,” Hernandez said while recalling Du Plessis’ first meeting with Strickland. “Hopefully, Strickland f*cking fixed those areas, you know what I mean. I talked to him the last time I seen him and he said he was getting ready for it so best of luck to him.”
Anthony Hernandez Would Gladly Fight Strickland Or Anyone Else Standing in His Way of UFC Gold
Should Strickland come out on top and reclaim the middleweight crown, it could set the stage for a potential showdown between Hernandez and ‘Tarzan’ in the future — an especially interesting matchup considering the two are good friends.
Asked if he’d have any qualms about fighting Strickland given their relationship, ‘Fluffy’ said:
“I don’t give a f*ck, I’d still fight him. I’m sure he would try to take my head off and I would try to take. We’d shake hands after and we can go riding or some sh*t. I really don’t give a f*ck. I’m just a cold-blooded killer. I will murder you.”
Whether it’s Strickland, Du Plessis, or someone completely different, Hernandez doesn’t really care. The only thing he’s focused on is securing his first shot at UFC gold and it all starts with his scrap against Allen in The Emerald City.
“For sure it’s definitely on my mind,” Hernandez added. “I’m hoping by the end of the year I get a title shot. That’s ideal, but I gotta stay healthy so hopefully, this next one goes really good for me and I stay healthy and don’t f*ck anything up and I can get back in there. I’m definitely hoping for a title shot by the end of the year.”
Watch the full interview below:
