Anthony Hernandez proposed making a middleweight BMF championship. He may be onto one thing. “Fluffy” Hernandez regarded just like the baddest man at 185 kilos after battering Roman Dolidze at UFC Struggle Night time on Saturday.
Hernandez has a fame for breaking individuals. Dolidze was not exempt from that destiny. Hernandez walked down Dolidze from the primary bell: touchdown strikes, throwing him to the ground and taunting him. Dolidze’s energy and grappling did nothing to discourage Hernandez. Dolidze’s energy stored him aggressive in Spherical 1, however his stamina plummeted below Hernandez’s sustained strain.
Hernandez unleashed a hailstorm of floor punches within the ultimate seconds of Spherical 2. Referee Herb Dean intervened as soon as the spherical ended, however each events thought the combat was over. Hernandez, centered on his mission, didn’t protest the decision. He stopped celebrating and began receiving teaching.
Dolidze’s waning resistance ran out in Spherical 4 as Hernandez locked up a rear-naked choke submission. Hernandez turned the primary man to cease Dolidze in practically 20 fights, a feat that not even Nassourdine Imavov — the No. 1-ranked middleweight who knocked out Israel Adesanya — has managed.
“Fluffy” is one in every of UFC’s most underappreciated success tales. Hernandez misplaced two of his first three UFC fights earlier than embarking on an eight-fight win streak. The primary trace of his rebellious new combating fashion got here after he submitted Rodolfo Vieira, thought to be arguably the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu heavyweight of his era.
Hernandez’s rise has been disrespectfully sluggish. Earlier than Saturday, no middleweight wanted greater than seven consecutive wins to problem for the UFC title. In opposition to Dolidze (No. 9), Hernandez was solely afforded the prospect to combat somebody ranked one spot above him. Against this, Reinier de Ridder is a top-five middleweight after beating Robert Whittaker in his fourth UFC look.
“I need a title shot. What the f— do I’ve to do?” Hernandez stated in his post-fight interview. “Give me the title shot and I promise I will be the subsequent champ.
“I need a belt. I need one thing to show I am the most effective fighter on the planet.”
