Anthony Hernandez discusses what’s next after recovering from injury
Anthony Hernandez talks to MMA Junkie Radio about his injury, missing out on the UFC Vancouver fight, facing Sean Strickland or Dricus Du Plessis next.
Given he was originally supposed to compete in the UFC Fight Night 262 main event, it would seem safe to assume that Anthony Hernandez tuned in for Reinier de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen with a watchful eye. And yet, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Hernandez couldn’t have cared less and instead used the free time to work on building his new home.
“No, I’m not gonna lie. I didn’t (watch the fight),” Hernandez recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “I was at my ranch. I was f*cking digging out stumps and sh*t. I told you I’m trying to move back into the country. I was like, ‘F*ck, bro, I’ve got time today.’ And, like, I really don’t give a f*ck. I’m gonna eventually hear what happened in the fight, and I can watch it later. But, no, I didn’t watch it. I was working. …
“It’s not important to me. I’m not gonna fight either of those guys right now, you know what I mean? It is what it is. When I have a date and a name, that’s what I focus on. But right now I’m trying to get my property done, I’m trying to get in shape, and those are my two concerns.”
Hernandez originally was scheduled to meet de Ridder at UFC Vancouver in what was widely viewed as a middleweight title eliminator, but an undisclosed injury forced him to withdraw about a month out from the fight. Allen stepped in on short notice and delivered a shocking result as he won by TKO after de Ridder’s team threw in the towel before the fifth round.
While Hernandez didn’t watch Allen’s performance, he was made aware of the result thanks to being tagged in a plethora of posts on social media. Hernandez said he gave Allen his props.
“I told him good sh*t and congratulations,” Hernandez. “That’s pretty gangster to make somebody quit in a fight.”
Hernandez, who is officially ranked No. 4 in the UFC’s 185-pound division after eight consecutive wins, wouldn’t disclose the nature of his injury to MMA Junkie Radio, only revealing that he “tore something.” He said he’s healthy now and that the injury didn’t require surgery, but he was in bad shape for a while.
“All everyone needs to know is I’m f*cking good again,” Hernandez said. “That sh*t hurt like a b*tch. I was laid up for like three, four weeks of not being able to do any sh*t. It was horrible. I couldn’t cough, I couldn’t sleep, trying to roll over and sh*t was killing me. It was just f*cking annoying. But it is what it is. It’s part of the game.”
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Now feeling 100 percent, Hernandez is “hungry as f*ck” to fight again and is targeting a January return on a rumored UFC card in Los Angeles. “That would be perfect: Get to through the holidays with my kids and then sent into war,” Hernandez said.
As far as a possible opponent, Hernandez said he has “no f*cking idea” who it could be but acknowledges “there’s only so many guys” ranked ahead of him who make sense. Those would be former champion Sean Strickland, Nassourdine Imavov, former champion Dricus Du Plessis, and, of course, champion Khamzat Chimaev.
It seems likely Hernandez will need one more win for a title shot, leaving Chimaev to defend his title for the first time against somebody else. While the thought of fighting the “boogeyman” of the middleweight division for the title is appealing, Hernandez couldn’t care less if Chimaev is still champion when he gets his shot.
“It would be dope, but either way I don’t give a f*ck, man. I really don’t give a f*ck who I fight,” Hernandez said. “I know styles make it exciting, but I truly don’t give a f*ck. I think fighting him would be a lot more wrestling defense and boring. Imavov would be a fun fight because he’s a striker, he comes, he bangs. That’s exciting to me. That’s what people want to see, and I feel like when you’re right there (fighting for a title or close to it), you want to do legendary shit. You want bangers.”
