Anthony Hernandez reveals partnership with Sean Strickland ahead of Gregory Rodrigues fight
Months after facing each other inside the Octagon, Anthony Hernandez is now training alongside Sean Strickland as he prepares to headline UFC Fight Night Sacramento.
Anthony Hernandez has found an unlikely training partner ahead of his UFC Sacramento main event against Gregory Rodrigues. Just months after suffering the only loss of his last nine fights to Sean Strickland, the middleweight contender is now working alongside the reigning champion as part of his training camp.
Former Rivals Now Training Together
Anthony Hernandez appears to have found an unexpected training partner ahead of UFC Fight Night 285. Just months after suffering a third-round TKO loss to Sean Strickland, "Fluffy" has partnered with the middleweight champion as he prepares to face Gregory Rodrigues in Sacramento.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hernandez had nothing but praise for Strickland and revealed that the champion had originally invited him to help prepare for his fight against Khamzat Chimaev. An injury prevented Hernandez from joining him for that camp, but the two finally had the opportunity to train together ahead of his upcoming bout.
"He's a cool dude, man. I got nothing bad to say about the guy. He's been helping me, and I've been training with him. He actually hit me up for the Khamzat fight, but I was injured at the time and couldn't go out to help him. I told him, 'I'll eventually train with you.' I'm going to be in Vegas a lot more for camp this time, so we set it up so we could train together."
Hernandez also praised Strickland's toughness, making it clear he was not surprised by the champion's recent success: "That motherf***er's tough as hell, bro. He's a tough son of a bitch."
The middleweight contender also shared a photo from a training session on Instagram, thanking Strickland and his team for welcoming him into the camp.
Anthony Hernandez Looking to Bounce Back
The last time Hernandez stepped into the Octagon was against Strickland in February, when his eight-fight winning streak came to an end following a third-round TKO loss. Before that defeat, "Fluffy" had established himself as one of the division's hottest contenders with victories over Brendan Allen, Michel Pereira and Rodolfo Vieira.
Now ranked No. 7 in the middleweight division, Hernandez will look to return to winning ways when he faces Gregory Rodrigues in the main event of UFC Fight Night 285.
