Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez’s six-fight winning streak is one of the more unlikely success stories in the sport. Hernandez began his UFC career in 2019 when he was subbed by Markus Perez, who got cut soon after for his 2-5 promotional record.
Hernandez got his win and then another finish loss, a TKO to Kevin Holland, before reeling off this incredible run of five finishes in six wins. He may be undersized for the division and not the confident, powerful sort of striker that middleweight runs on, but his high-paced grappling attack which always pursues a finish has made him a true contender at 185-lbs.
His win over Michel Pereira in both men’s first UFC main event at UFC Vegas 99 was his best display of this style yet. Fluffy notched over fifteen minutes of control time and had an advantage of over 125 significant strikes when he put Pereira away in the fifth round of their matchup.
However, Fluffy’s streak has not seen him face a top wrestler yet, and there are a few of those yet remaining at 185-lbs. Brendan Allen and Marvin Vettori are both coming off losses in the top ten and will have to fight down next. Either would be a tough matchup for Hernandez, as both are strong defensive wrestlers.
Fluffy can be a force in this division if he gets a chance to run amok among the strikers at the top like Adesanya and Strickland, but he will have to get through a tough, well-rounded veteran like Vettori to get there.
Fluffy’s Next Fight: vs Marvin Vettori
