UFC Fight Night 268 will take place on February 21, 2026, live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Strickland comes into the fight coming off the back of his defeat to former champion Dricus du Plessis (UD), a rematch of their first meeting that saw du Plessis emerge victorious in a very close five-round affair (SD).
Since 2023, Strickland has gone 4-2, with both losses coming to du Plessis with wins over current No. 1. In second place are Nassourdine Imavov (UD), Abus Magomedov (TKO), former champion Israel Adesanya (UD), from whom he took the title in one of the bigger upsets in MMA history, and also No. 13 ranked former title challenger Paulo Costa (SD).
Hernandez, on the other hand, has been on a real hot streak lately, having won his last eight straight matches.
This started with a submission win over perhaps the most certified BJJ practitioner to ever grace the octagon in Rodolfo Vieira (guillotine choke), before it was followed with wins over the likes of Josh Fremd (UD), Marc-Andre Barriault (arm-triangle choke), Edmen Shahbazyan (TKO), Roman Kopylov (rear naked choke), Michel Pereira (TKO), who himself was on an eight-fight win streak, no. 5 ranked Brendan Allen (UD), and no. 12 ranked Roman Dolidze (rear naked choke) in August.
Many of us have been wanting to see Strickland take on former champion Robert Whittaker for a while now, but this is also a very exciting match between two top five talents with something to give; Hernandez hasn’t lost since 2020, and Strickland almost never gets out of the fight or is too fast.
Who will win this middleweight main event at UFC Houston?
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