Strickland (30-7) fought for the first time since his February 2025 loss to Dricus du Plessis and showed no signs of cage rust. “Tarzan” used his signature “Philly Shell” defense and a brutal jab to dismantle Hernandez over three frames.
The shutdown
Although Hernandez (15-3) found little success in the second round, he was unable to execute his wrestling against the veteran. In the third the pressure became too much. Strickland landed a heavy knee to the body that visibly folded Hernandez, followed by a clinical flurry of punches to force the referee’s intervention. 2:33 of round 3.
In typical Strickland fashion, the post-fight interview was short and aggressive. He immediately took aim at the reigning, undefeated king of the division: Khamzat Chimaev.
‘I want a piece of the king’ Strickland made it clear he expects to be next in line for a shot at gold.
Co-Main Chaos: Medic Starch Neal
The co-main event delivered one of the most brutal knockouts of the evening. Unrest Medic (13-3) needed just 79 seconds to stabilize veteran Geoff Neal. A perfectly timed left hook to the temple disconnected Neal from his senses, likely signaling a changing of the guard in the welterweight rankings. For Neal it means a difficult series of four defeats in his last five games.
Costa’s Spinning special
Elsewhere on the map Melquizael Costa continued his meteoric rise. Facing top 15 seed Dan Ige, Costa produced a contender for “Knockout of the Year” late in the first round with a spinning back kick to the face. The win extends his win streak to six and sets him up for a huge jump in the featherweight division.
💰 PERFORMANCE BONUSES ($100,000)
UFC CEO Dana White was in high spirits in Houston, awarding huge six-figure bonuses to the following standout performers:
- Sean Strickland (Performance of the night)
- Unrest Medic (Performance of the night)
- Melquizael Costa (Performance of the night)
- Jacob Smith (Performance of the night)
🗣️ FIGHT FANS: IS STRICKLAND NEXT FOR CHIMAEV?
Strickland is back in the win column, but does he have the wrestling to stop the Borz?
- Should Strickland get the next title shot, or does he need one more win?
- Was Melquizael Costa’s kick the best KO of 2026 so far?
Leave your predictions in the comments below! 👇🥊
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