Houston — It has been more than two years since Sean Strickland last held the UFC middleweight title, but on Saturday night in Texas the former champion looked back in championship form. Strickland returned to the win column with a clear technical knockout of Anthony Hernandez in the main event of UFC Fight Night 267 at Toyota Center in Houston.
Hernandez came in on an eight-fight winning streak and was in the conversation for a title shot. He never found a way past Strickland’s sharp striking. Strickland built his output round by round and took over midway through the third, finishing the fight with a hard knee to the body and follow-up punches at 2:33.
Strickland finishes Hernandez — knee to the body and follow-up punches, Round 3.
| Detail | Result |
|---|---|
| Winner | Sean Strickland |
| Method | TKO (knee to the body and punches) |
| Round / Time | Round 3, 2:33 |
| Event | UFC Fight Night 267 — Houston |
Round-by-round breakdown
| Round | Strickland (total) | Hernandez (total) | Strickland (sig. str.) | Hernandez (sig. str.) | Round winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 / 91 | 23 / 48 | 32 / 90 (35%) | 23 / 48 (47%) | Strickland |
| 2 | 37 / 79 | 23 / 47 | 37 / 79 (46%) | 23 / 47 (48%) | Strickland |
| 3 | 41 / 72 | 11 / 29 | 41 / 72 (56%) | 9 / 27 (33%) | Strickland (TKO 2:33) |
Strike totals: landed / attempted. Sig. str. = significant strikes; % = accuracy.
Hernandez is the division’s all-time leader in takedowns per 15 minutes (6.46), but on Saturday he managed only one attempt—in the first round—and Strickland defended it easily. Hernandez hadn’t lost since a 2020 TKO to Kevin Holland, also finished by a knee to the body; Holland was in the building for Saturday’s card.
Strickland had been out since a five-round unanimous decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis in their title rematch at UFC 312 last February. He is now 5-2 since 2022, with both defeats coming in five-round decisions to Du Plessis. After the win he made clear he wants the next shot at reigning champion Khamzat Chimaev—who defends the belt next and when remains to be seen.
Rest of the card
Co-main: Uros Medic scored the biggest win of his career with a first-round knockout of veteran Geoff Neal at welterweight. Medic put Neal away with a left hand as the two traded in the pocket early. Neal, No. 12 going in, has now lost two in a row; Medic moved to 13-3 and has never gone the distance.
Welterweight: Jacobe Smith stayed perfect at 12-0 with a brutal ground-and-pound stoppage of short-notice UFC debutant Josiah Harrell (11-1). Smith reversed a Harrell takedown in the first and ended the fight shortly after.
Featherweight: Melquizael Costa ran his streak to six with a highlight finish of Dan Ige—the first time Ige has been finished. Costa landed a spinning back kick in the closing seconds of the first round and closed with ground strikes.
Middleweight: Michel Pereira got past Zachary Reese by split decision after a back-and-forth scrap, snapping a three-fight skid. Heavyweight: Serghei Spivac took a decision over Ante Delija in a back-and-forth three-rounder; both were coming off losses to Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Spivac, 0-2 in 2025, dedicated the win to his late father.
Prelims: Joselyne Edwards avenged a prior loss to Nora Cornolle with a second-round rear-naked choke; Carlos Leal outpointed Chidi Njokuani in a 150-strike welterweight battle; Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani won his UFC debut by split decision over Philip Rowe. Jordan Leavitt moved to featherweight and upset Yadier del Valle as a 3–1 underdog; Alden Coria and Alibi Idiris won at flyweight; Carli Judice decisioned Juliana Miller. Punahele Soriano, Ramiz Brahimaj, and Luis Gurule also featured on the prelims.
For a full breakdown of how Strickland’s style won the night, see our Sean Strickland fighting style analysis.