Anthony Hernandez declares himself the middleweight ‘boogeyman’ ahead of UFC Houston

By Cole Shelton - February 19, 2026 at 3:09 PM PST // 0 Comments

Anthony Hernandez believes he’s the middleweight boogeyman and plans to prove it once again at UFC Houston.

Hernandez is set to headline UFC Houston on Saturday against Sean Strickland in a pivotal fight at middleweight. It’s a big test for Hernandez as he gets to take on the former champion in Strickland. Heading into the bout, Hernandez is the betting favorite, and he believes this is a good matchup for him.

“I don’t got no responsibilities this week, everyone’s taking care of me, and I get to swing on somebody and get paid for it. … I think he’ll try to wrestle me because the Du Plessis fight didn’t go well, and his coaches talked about it,” Hernandez said at UFC Houston media day. “He’s going to try to probably show that he’s a better mixed martial artist. But I’m ready for everything, so I’m excited.”

As Hernandez said, he fully expects Strickland to try to grapple him at UFC Houston, but he knows the former champ will be able to outgrapple him.

Anthony Hernandez is ready for whoever at middleweight

Ultimately, Hernandez has full confidence that he’ll be able to beat Strickland and enter the title conversation at middleweight.

With a win, Hernandez isn’t sure who he will fight next. Instead, he believes it’s hard for him to get fights as no one wants to fight him, as he’s the boogeyman of the division.

“The way I see it is, I kind of feel like the boogeyman,” Hernandez said. “You call my name, and if you’re in front of me, I’m coming after you. So, it is what it is. It’s a business. I’m happy the former champ thinks he can take me out, so I’m looking to prove him wrong.”

Anthony Hernandez enters the bout with a record of 15-2 and one NC and is coming off a submission win over Roman Dolidze. He’s on an eight-fight winning streak.

Do you think Anthony Hernandez will beat Sean Strickland at UFC Houston? Sound off in the comment section, PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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