Anthony Hernandez praises his time in Las Vegas ahead of UFC Sacramento
The UFC middleweight says training with Sean Strickland and other top fighters helped him sharpen his skills ahead of his UFC Sacramento main event.
About to face Gregory Rodrigues in the main event of UFC Sacramento, Anthony Hernandez is approaching his return to the Octagon with a renewed sense of motivation. After suffering a defeat by TKO to Sean Strickland earlier this year, the UFC middleweight spent most of the summer training in Las Vegas, where he worked with Strickland and other fighters at Xtreme Couture while making extensive use of the UFC Performance Institute. According to Hernandez, the experience helped reignite his passion for martial arts.
Anthony Hernandez Praises Las Vegas Experience
Although Hernandez had to stay away from his family and training partners as he went to Las Vegas, "Fluffy" seems to have no doubt that the move was worth it. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Hernandez described the experience as a turning point, praising the intensity of the training environment and the number of high-level fighters he was able to work with.
"It was great, man. It was a f*cking blast," Hernandez began. " … It kind of re-sparked that (love for) martial arts for me, and I mean, I've been doing this shit for a long time. And to be honest, I was kind of getting sick of Sacramento anyways. So going out there was f*cking exciting. It was new. It was fun."
The middleweight also highlighted the intensity of the training sessions, saying the camp forced him to sharpen every part of his game against hungry opponents.
"A lot of the guys I fought, and there's a lot of new guys there so it's just like a lot of hungry guys, and they'll take your head off if you f*cking let them," Hernandez said. "So for me it was like about jumping in the fire and f*cking having to sharpen all my tools with guys with multiple layers, you know what I mean? And it was a f*cking great outcome for me. I had a great camp."
The UFC Performance Institute also played an important role in Hernandez's preparation, while the support of his family allowed him to dedicate the summer entirely to his training.
Anthony Hernandez Enters UFC Sacramento Focused
Hernandez's time in Las Vegas appears to have changed more than just his training routine. The middleweight feels more focused than ever as he prepares for his first fight since the loss to Strickland. He says he was able to put his last defeat behind him and is now fully focused on Rodrigues.
"I don't really feel like I've changed, to be honest, but I don't know," Hernandez said. "I've always been a hothead, so I don't know, maybe I'm just getting older and I'm sick of people's shit. I don't f*cking know, man. I really don't know, but I'll tell you what, I'm focused as f*ck. I've been working my f*cking ass off. I've been chasing this f*cking dream, I've done everything it takes. So now let's just go out there and have fun and fight, the rest will handle itself. We'll see where the world takes us after Saturday."
Standing in Hernandez's way is Rodrigues, who enters the main event on a three-fight winning streak. The Brazilian has won his last three bouts since his 2025 loss to Jared Cannonier and will be looking to keep that momentum going. Hernandez, however, welcomes the challenge and is ready to find out who will come out on top.
"I knew who he was and he like he called me out, so it's like, if you think you can take me out, perfect. Let's f*cking do it. I know he's dangerous. I'm not sleeping on him."
The stakes are also personal for both fighters, as they are competing to provide for their families. While Hernandez has no personal issues with Rodrigues, he knows that any respect between them will have to be put aside once the cage door closes.
"I know he's a really cool guy," Hernandez said. "I've met him and talked to him for like an hour before, but at the end of the day, this guy's got to take care of his family and so do I. So let's f*cking get it, see who the most violent man can be."
Hernandez enters Saturday's main event looking to turn the lessons from his Las Vegas camp into a winning performance. With Rodrigues riding a three-fight winning streak, Fluffy will have another opportunity to establish himself among the UFC's middleweight contenders.
