Sean Strickland vs Anthony Hernandez Fight Highlights

Sean Strickland leaned on his signature jab, steady forward pressure, and sharp defensive reads from start to finish. Across three rounds, he dictated the tempo and shut down Anthony Hernandez’s usual grappling‑heavy game. In the final round, a brutal knee to the body clearly damaged Hernandez, allowing Strickland to unleash a nonstop barrage of punches that forced the referee to wave it off at 2:33. The stoppage ended Hernandez’s eight‑fight winning streak and gave Strickland his first finish since 2023. The victory pushes Strickland to 30–7 and immediately places him back in the title mix at middleweight. After the fight, he didn’t hide his intentions — he called out the undefeated champion Khamzat Chimaev and made it clear he wants another shot at the belt. With the division lacking a clear next challenger, his callout adds real tension to the title picture. The co-main event produced fireworks as well: Uros Medic knocked out Geoff Neal just 79 seconds into Round 1 with a perfectly timed left hook. On the same card, Melquizael Costa continued his momentum at featherweight by stopping Dan Ige with a spinning back‑kick TKO late in the opening round. Strickland, Medic, Costa, and Jacobe Smith each earned $100,000 performance bonuses for their highlight‑reel finishes. With Strickland back in the win column and openly targeting the champion, the middleweight division suddenly has fresh energy heading into 2026. Does Strickland deserve the next title shot?