Last Saturday’s dominant win over Roman Dolidze could be the catalyst that pushes Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez into the middleweight title conversation.
After extending his winning streak to eight in the main event of UFC Vegas 109, Hernandez (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) jumped three spots in the official UFC middleweight rankings, moving ahead of both Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier, while Dolidze dropped one place to No. 11.
Hernandez had already been turning heads in the division thanks to an impressive run that includes victories over Roman Kopylov, Michel Pereira, and Brendan Allen. But it was the way he dismantled Dolidze last weekend that drew the most attention.
With current UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in Dolidze’s corner at the UFC Apex, Hernandez delivered a performance reminiscent of “The Machine” himself during his own rise to greatness. Already the record holder for the most takedowns in UFC middleweight history, Hernandez pushed that number to 54 against Dolidze. At 185 pounds, only Dricus Du Plessis (nine) owns a longer active winning streak.
With six finishes across his eight straight victories, Hernandez’s case for inclusion among the division’s elite is impossible to ignore. The question now is where the 32-year-old fits into the broader title picture at middleweight.
The UFC’s Crowded Road to the Middleweight Title
On the eve of the title showdown between Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) at UFC 319 this Saturday, it appears likely that the winner of the UFC Paris headliner on September 6 — featuring Nassourdine Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) vs. Caio Borralho (17-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) — will be next in line for the belt, regardless of who leaves Chicago with the championship this weekend.
If that turns out to be the case, the UFC will need to decide what to do with the two other fighters who have recently crashed the middleweight title picture — Anthony Hernandez and Reinier de Ridder.
Former ONE Championship titleholder De Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has looked sensational during his own winning run since joining the UFC twelve months ago. This week, there have been calls for the promotion to match Hernandez against the big Dutchman while the Du Plessis/Chimaev and Imavov/Borralho situations play out over the rest of the year.
While a Hernandez vs. De Ridder clash would no doubt deliver fireworks, there may be a more strategic option for UFC matchmakers.
Former champions Israel Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) and Sean Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) are both ranked inside the top four at 185 pounds — ahead of both Hernandez and De Ridder — and neither currently has a fight booked. Rather than eliminate a rising contender by pairing Hernandez and De Ridder, it might make more sense to match each man against one of the former champions and see which one shines brightest.
