Anthony Hernandez seemed to be playing with his food on Saturday night at times as he earned a bonus-winning and record-setting win.
Heading into his Apex showdown with fan-favorite Michel Pereira, ‘Fluffy’ had declared that the middleweight division was about to witness its next champion. And he didn’t disappoint in his showing on Saturday, allowing for maximum damage over four rounds before stopping it in the fifth.
He massively outstruck the usually exciting Pereira, who looked completely gassed after just two rounds. In the process of landing the victory, Hernandez set multiple records with his performance and picked up a cool $50,000 for his efforts.
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Anthony Hernandez blasts out Michel Pereira in record-breaking UFC Vegas 99 win
In the first round, the explosive Michel Pereira went to work looking to land combinations, and even had a small bit of success early on. However, he tired quickly as Anthony Hernandez began to put him under more pressure heading into the second.
From round two, it was one-way traffic from ‘Fluffy’ as he completely overwhelmed the Brazilian, who looked out on his feet. Two judges scored his rounds two, three and four as rare 10-8s due to the nature of his dominance as he looked to be heading towards a legendarily dominant decision.
But he opted to push for the finish and about halfway through the round he got the stoppage with nasty ground and pound. He had also opened up a gruesome cut on the head of Pereira, who was totally spent when Herb Dean called the fight.
The strike differential of 219-29 for Hernandez set a new middleweight record that had stood since UFC 58 back in 2006, and it wasn’t his only one on the night. His takedown attempts saw him shoot for more than ever in the division, making it a multiple-record breaking performance.
The victory was enough to earn Hernandez a second consecutive performance bonus. It also snapped an eight-fight winning streak for the flashy Brazilian.
Anthony Hernandez wants to move toward world title shot after stunning victory
Hernandez is currently ranked number 13 in the UFC’s middleweight division. And he may have stayed stagnant despite the dominance of his victory, given that Pereira was ranked below him heading into the five rounder.
However, that hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm for a shot at Dricus Du Plessis‘ world title. The South African is due to defend the belt in February, with Sean Strickland the likely contender in a rematch while the winner of Khamzat Chimaev vs Robert Whittaker next week will have a claim as well.
But Hernandez made an aggressive case for his rising through the ranks after the fact, declaring that he needs a big name opponent next. He has now won six in a row, four of which were finishes with the last two earning him Performance of the Night bonuses.
“I’m ready for my belt. I’m out of my own way. Just give me what it f***ing takes,” Hernandez told Paul Felder in his post-fight interview. “Give me someone that’s going to give me a title shot. I’m f***ing ready, I’ll prove it to you.”