While MMA‘s top promotion, the UFC, has a few shows left before sending 2024 to the history file, the organization is already hard at work at filling slots for cards in the early portion of 2025. Saturday, during UFC 309, the UFC announced its provisional slate for January through March of next year.
While not every date that features a UFC card in Q1 of the new year has a host arena as yet, there will be 11 events between Jan. 11 at the UFC Apex and March 29 at an undisclosed venue. Tuesday, a rematch from the LFA was confirmed to take place on the UFC’s last show in February.
Hernandez Meets Allen For Second Time on Feb. 22
Feb. 22’s UFC show currently has just three fights locked up for the evening, including a tussle at 185 lbs. that’s been close to seven years in the making. No. 9 contender Brendan Allen (24-6 MMA, 12-3 UFC), makes his 31st walk to the cage in his career to close out the year’s shortest month against No. 13 contender Anthony Hernandez (13-2, 1 NC MMA, 7-2 UFC.)
MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin tweeted out Tuesday afternoon that Hernandez and Allen would be making the walk to the Octagon later on this winter.
🚨Rematch!🚨
Brendan Allen will fight Anthony Hernandez on February 22, 2025, per sources
The UFC event is eyed for Seattle pic.twitter.com/w1HMRZPycp
— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) November 19, 2024
Although the host city for this particular card has not been officially announced at press time, Behunin’s message on X (formerly Twitter) mentioned that the promotion is aiming for the Feb. 22 UFC Fight Night (UFC Fight Night 250) to be held in Seattle, WA.
The Series So Far…
Heading into the Feb. 22, 2025 rematch between Allen and Hernandez, the all-time series between these two men stands at 1-0 in favor of the latter. Back on Jan. 26, 2018, Hernandez made his LFA promotional debut versus Allen, scoring a unanimous decision victory after five rounds to take the LFA Middleweight Championship during LFA 32’s headlining bout on AXS TV.
How will chapter two play out? We’ll know at the end of February.
Allen Looking to Rebound
Brendan Allen will enter his Feb. 22 fight versus Hernandez having posted a mark of 4-1 over his last five fights dating back to Feb. 25, 2023. Back in September, he sustained a unanimous decision loss to Nassourdine Imavov (15-4, 1 NC MMA, 7-2, 1 NC UFC) in UFC Paris.
Before the Sept. 28 event. the No. 9 contender at 185 had scored seven straight wins. Ahead of UFC Paris, Allen had been ranked at No. 8 in the weight class, something that he took offense to, saying:
“I’m the only guy on the win streak that falls in the rankings. When guys above me are on losses or consecutive losses, I don’t even know, but I know there are losses, so it’s just whatever. Like, it’s almost comical at this point.”
Hernandez Coming In Hot
In the other corner, Anthony Hernandez comes into his next fight on a 5-0 record in his last five fights. Currently, he’s on a six-fight winning streak dating back to 2021. Just a month ago, he scored a fifth-round knockout by way of ground and pound shots against Michel Pereira (31-12, 2 NC MMA, 9-3 UFC) at the UFC Apex.
The Oct. 19 fight was a makegood of a cancelled bout between the two men from Sept. 14 so that it could be rescheduled for last month. After that fight, he called out UFC CEO Dana White for a high-stakes affair.
“That’s just what I expected,” Hernandez said of the win over Pereira. “I had no nerves all week. Like I’ve been telling you guys, I’m ready for my belt, I’m out of my own way. Just give me whatever the (expletive deleted) it takes. Dana, you’ve always given me tough (censored) fights. Give me someone that’s going to give me a title shot. I’m ready. I’ll prove it to you.”
While Hernandez will have to wait a little while longer for a shot at the UFC Middleweight Championship, a victory on Feb. 22 of next year could bring him a step closer toward his ultimate goal, the ultimate prize at 185 lbs.
