It has been more than two years since Sean Strickland last possessed the UFC middleweight title, but on Saturday night in Texas, the former top dog at 185 pounds looked to be in championship form.
Strickland returned to the win column with an impressive technical knockout win over Anthony Hernandez in the featured bout of a UFC Fight Night event at Houston’s Toyota Center.
Hernandez rode an eight-fight winning streak entering the match and was closing in on a title shot, but “Fluffy” had difficulty getting past Strickland’s refined striking attack.
Strickland increased his output round-over-round against Hernandez and overwhelmed his opponent midway through the third after landing a damaging knee to the body.
Hernandez entered the contest as the middleweight division’s all-time leader for takedowns, averaging 6.46 takedowns per 15 minutes, yet he was unable to get that aspect of his game going on Saturday. In fact, Hernandez only attempted a single takedown and Strickland shrugged it off in the opening round.
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Hernandez hadn’t lost since a 2020 TKO to Kevin Holland in what was just his third UFC appearance. That loss also involved Hernandez eating a knee to the midsection during the finish, and, ironically, Holland happened to be one of the UFC fighters in attendance watching the action on Saturday.
As for the brash and polarizing Strickland, he hadn’t fought since losing a five-round unanimous decision to Dricus Du Plessis in their championship rematch at UFC 312 last February. Strickland is now 5-2 since 2022, with both his losses being five-round decisions to Du Plessis.
It’s unclear who reigning titleholder Khamzat Chimaev will face next and when, Strickland did make it clear following his win that he wants to be the one to challenge Chimaev for the title.
Meanwhile, Uros Medic picked up the biggest win of his career in the co-main event with a stunning first-round knockout of veteran Geoff Neal.
Medic put Neal to sleep with a left hand as the pair of 170-pounders traded in the pocket, early in the fight. The 32-year-old from Serbia is 13-3 in mixed martial arts and has never gone the distance.
Neal entered the weekend as the No. 12-ranked contender in the division, but has now lost two straight and could drop out of the top 15 as Medic now clearly deserves a number beside his name.
The loss also marked two consecutive brutal first-round knockout defeats for Neal. The 35-year-old was put away by a Carlos Prates spinning elbow in August and has lost four of five overall.
Jacobe Smith improved to 12-0 as a pro with a vicious ground-and-pound knockout of UFC newcomer Josiah Harrell, who fell to 11-1, losing his short-notice debut.
Smith showed why he’s considered one of the top rising contenders in the 170-pound division when he reversed a Harrell takedown attempt midway through the opening round and ended the fight seconds later.
Also on the main card, Melquizael Costa extended his winning streak to six in a row and did so in style.
Costa became the first fighter to finish featherweight stalwart Dan Ige, landing a spinning back kick in the waning seconds of the opening round of their 145-pound contest.
Middleweight brawlers Zachary Reese and Michel Pereira swung until the final horn, with Pereira getting with his hand raised via split decision to snap a three-fight skid.
European heavyweights Serghei Spivac and Ante Delija went back and forth for three rounds, with Moldova’s Spivac getting the nod over Croatia’s Delija. Both of the top 10-ranked heavyweight contenders were coming off losses to Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Spivac, who went 0-2 in 2025, dedicated the win to his late father, who died last year.
Only one finish on prelims
Welterweight strikers Chidi Njokuani and Carlos Leal put on a show for the Texas crowd, combining for 150 total strikes in 15 minutes. Leal edged out the decision by slightly out-landing Njokuani and landing the more damaging blows overall.
The fan-friendly tilt was one of the few bright spots on a relatively lacklustre preliminary card.
Joselyne Edwards avenged a previous loss to Nora Cornolle with a statement win in the women’s bantamweight division. Edwards submitted Cornolle with a rear-naked choke midway through the second round, moments after slamming Cornolle hard into the canvas.
Cornolle, who previously won a decision over Edwards in 2023, was writhing in pain following the loss in their rematch. She was seen holding her shoulder and collarbone area as she was assisted out of the cage.
It was the lone finish on the preliminary card.
Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani had one of the best Dana White’s Contender Series performances of 2025, and he made good on his UFC debut with a split decision win over the seasoned Philip Rowe. In other welterweight action, Punahele Soriano edged out Ramiz Brahimaj via decision.
Rising flyweight prospect Alden Coria swept the scorecards against Luis Gurule, while Alibi Idiris used a heavy wrestling attack to control and defeat Ode Osbourne in another 125-pound contest.
Carli Judice won her third consecutive fight with a decision over fellow flyweight Juliana Miller in the opening bout of the prelims. Judice, 26, has an entertaining fighting style and is a name to watch in the women’s 125-pound division.
Jordan Leavitt came through as a three-to-one underdog as he dropped down from lightweight to featherweight and out-grappled Yadier del Valle en route to winning two of three rounds on all judges’ scorecards. Leavitt has won two in a row and is riding a multi-fight winning streak for the first time in four years.
This was del Valle’s first career loss and his first fight since a first-round submission of Isaac Dulgarian this past November, a win that was marred by a gambling controversy.
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