After Snapping Pereira’s Streak, Anthony Hernandez Vows to Reach Dricus Du Plessis: “I’ll Show the F—k Out”
After his dominant performance at UFC Vegas 99, Anthony Hernandez is ready for a shot at middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.
Saturday’s event inside The APEX saw its fair share of decisions with nine of the 11 fights going to the scorecards. However, the judges weren’t needed for the main event as Hernandez put it on opponent Michel Pereira for four full rounds before scoring a TKO just past the two-minute mark of the fifth.
Hernandez extended his unbeaten streak to six and outlanded Pereira by 128 significant strikes, a new single-fight UFC middleweight record. The record was previously held by Rich Franklin who outstruck David Loiseau by 106 strikes at UFC 58 all the way back in March 2006.
Hernandez also landed 97 significant ground strikes and attempted 29 takedowns, both single-fight records in the division.
Anthony Hernandez has his sights set on Dricus Du Plessis
As for what comes next, ‘Fluffy’ is keeping his eyes on the prize. That being the UFC middleweight world title.
“I think [what] would be a great fight realistically and who mixes it up really well would be Du Plessis,” Hernandez said at the post-fight press conference. “He mixes it very f*cking well, and that’s why he’s champion right now. He’s just a tough motherf*cker, and he goes.
“He looks like he’s gassed, and he keeps pushing. I’d love to fight him. I’m just going to keep climbing the ladder so I can get to him. Great job to him. Keep up the great work, man” (h/t MMA Mania).
Hernandez was previously scheduled to face Du Plessis in April 2022, but the bout never came to fruition. Since then, ‘DDP’ has gone on to become the middleweight division’s top dog, defeating Sean Strickland to take the title in January before successfully defending it against Israel Adesanya over the summer.
But as ready as he thinks he is, ‘Fluffy’ recognizes that he’ll likely have to go out there and win one or two more before getting that opportunity.
“Hopefully [I get a No. 1 contender fight next], but probably not,” Hernandez said. “There are guys ahead of me. I’m not stupid. I know how this sh*t works. It’s all about timing and sh*t. I’m just going to keep doing what I do. I’m going to stay ready, and when my time comes, I’m going to show the f*ck out, and I’ll get it eventually.”
