UFC middleweight contender Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez extended his win streak to seven in Seattle; despite a string of ‘sketchy’ issues during Fight Week.
Popular submission specialist Anthony Hernandez earned himself a solid unanimous decision victory this past weekend in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song.
Whilst victory in his rematch against Brendan ‘All In’ Allen is certainly the biggest win of his professional career to date, a string of issues during Fight Week had ‘Fluffy’ on high alert.
Anthony Hernandez explains why he was ‘freaking out’ before UFC Seattle
Speaking with the media after going 2-0 up against Allen in a fight in which Anthony Hernandez actually broke a long-standing UFC record, ‘Fluffy’ revealed that he’d finished a course of antibiotics by Friday – only a few hours before weighing in.
“Let’s just say I got off amoxicillin Friday. I felt like s—, and I’m not going to lie. I messed up my ribs two weeks ago. My ribs were f—– before… It was just thanking God for the [UFC PI], they were here, and they helped me every f—– day.”
Hernandez explained how one of the side-effects of him taking antibiotics was that it became drastically harder for him to cut weight.
Or as he put it: “My body was trying to recover [from illness], I’m trying to deplete it [to make weight].
‘Fluffy’ described his Fight Week preparation as a “nightmare” and admitted that he was increasingly nervous about the fight with Allen being scrapped from the card.
Luckily, for both him and the wider MMA community, Hernandez remains “pretty f—- tough between the ears and made it happen.
“That was f—- sketchy, man. I was freaking out for a second. I’m not going to lie. But I f—- king managed to do it… I had to weigh in naked, but it is what it is. I was on antibiotics. Everything that could’ve went wrong, went wrong, and we still managed to gangster it out. It is what it is.”
‘Fluffy’ is now 8-2 under the UFC banner and is riding a seven-fight winning streak that includes victories over Michel Pereira, Roman Kopylov, and Edmen Shahbazyan – so what’s next?
What’s next for Anthony Hernandez after impressive win at UFC Seattle?
Speaking with Michael Bisping in the octagon, Hernandez refused to call out anyone specific for his next fight, arguing that all he wants is to continue fighting up the rankings.
“It’s a blessing, but at the same time, I’m still not happy because the only thing I want is the damn belt,” Hernandez later said at the post-fight presser.
“All this other s— doesn’t really matter to me. It’s like, all right, cool: We did it. But I expected to do this. It’s just like I was telling the coaches [that] it’s back to work on Monday, I’ll be in the gym.”
Hernandez entered UFC Seattle as the #12 ranked middleweight in the world and is expected to break into the Top 8 come Tuesday morning’s update.
“Honestly, I don’t really give a f— [who I fight next]. Give me somebody who is going to prove that I’m ready for a title shot. Anyone from [Number] 5 up, I’d love to fight.”