Alexander Hernandez reflects on being ‘falsely accused of fixing a fight’ ahead of UFC Vegas 116 return

Alexander Hernandez is just glad to be fighting again.

Hernandez was supposed to fight Michael Johnson at UFC 324. However, on the day of the event, the bout was canceled. The UFC never gave a reason for the cancellation. But it came after notable betting‑line movement on the fight, as many wondered if Hernandez was dealing with an injury.

Given that nothing came from it, Hernandez is set to return on Saturday at UFC Vegas 116 against Rafa Garcia, and ‘The Great’ is excited to put all this behind him.

“That was a headache and a half. That was a stressful five weeks,” Hernandez said at UFC Vegas 116 media day. “It’s good to be on the right side of it, and praying no f*****y takes place this week. Obviously, a little bit of tension in the air in the back of my mind. I’m happy to be back. … I say this is uncharted territory, this is the first time anyone has been falsely accused of fixing a fight, or doing anything like that.

“It’s new waters for everyone. I think there needs to be some kind of protection over the combatants themselves. Who’s looking after me in that case, or who it happens to next? You have uninformed prop bet profiles unregulated bookied, and an uneducated bureau and no one is protecting the individual.”

As Hernandez notes, it was a frustrating time for him, and he’s just excited to fight again and put it all behind him. But, he does hope something gets done to help protect the fighters, to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Hernandez also made it clear he would never throw a fight or fix a fight, which made it worse that he was accused of it.

Hernandez enters UFC Vegas 116 as a slight betting favorite against Garcia. He’s 18-8 and coming off a TKO win over Diego Ferreira, which was his fourth-straight win.

Do you think Alexander Hernandez will beat Rafa Garcia at UFC Vegas 116?