Anthony Hernandez talks potential Sean Strickland rematch before Gregory Rodrigues fight at UFC Sacramento

Anthony Hernandez has suggested that he's open to a potential rematch against opponent-turned-training partner, reigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland. 

Hernandez will return to action this week against Gregory Rodrigues, aka "Robocop," who's on a three-fight win streak. 

Meanwhile, Strickland has been linked to a likely rematch against Khamzat Chimaev, with the former hinting that he's aiming to return in December. 

Anthony Hernandez went from fighting against to training with Sean Strickland

Anthony Hernandez, who was believed to be on the cusp of his maiden UFC title shot, had those dreams dashed for the time being at the hands of Sean Strickland. His most recent fight saw him face Strickland in February. Hernandez had his eight-fight win streak broken, courtesy of a third-round TKO defeat. 

Intriguingly, Strickland then proceeded to hand the then-undefeated Khamzat Chimaev his first MMA loss, defeating him via split decision to recapture the UFC middleweight championship. 

Additionally, in June, Hernandez spoke to Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show, and he explained that Strickland had requested his help to train for the Chimaev matchup.

Nevertheless, he was dealing with injury issues but ultimately did head to Xtreme Couture to train with Strickland. Hernandez, who's primarily trained at the MMA Gold Fight Team in California, has lately been training a lot in Las Vegas, too. He's worked at the UFC Performance Institute (PI) and Strickland's home turf of Xtreme Couture, both in Vegas. 

Anthony Hernandez discusses training with Sean Strickland after their February fight:

"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… pic.twitter.com/dqp2HJ0wg2

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 29, 2026

Anthony Hernandez vs. Gregory Rodrigues headlines UFC Sacramento; "Fluffy" is open to potentially fighting Sean Strickland again

Presently, Anthony Hernandez is booked to take on Brazil's Gregory Rodrigues in a highly anticipated middleweight showdown. It would serve as the headlining match of UFC Sacramento in Sacramento, California, this Saturday, August 22. 

During a recent conversation with Full Send MMA, Hernandez addressed multiple topics, including his bond of mutual respect with Sean Strickland, whom he's shared the Octagon with. 

In regard to whether he and Strickland would be open to clashing in yet another MMA match, Hernandez stated, "I don't think any of us care. Like, it is what it is. As long as we're both getting paid a lot of money, I don't give a f**k. Like, bro, I'll fight anybody. Like, it doesn't matter." 

He added, "The only way to make money in this sh** is to get the belt. And everybody f**king knows that... So at the end of the day, that's the goal." 

Hernandez indicated, however, that he still has to work his way back into the title picture, alluding that he'd have been competing for UFC gold if he hadn't lost to Strickland. He, as such, implied that their possible rematch isn't likely to materialize in the immediate future. 

Moreover, "Fluffy" asserted that Strickland is helping him and vice versa, adding that they're improving together. The 32-year-old suggested that if the day comes, they might end up clashing inside the Octagon again.

He also seemingly speculated about how long "Tarzan" is going to compete in MMA before deciding he's done with the sport. Hernandez, on his part, highlighted that he's simply taking things one fight at a time and is focused on his imminent clash against Gregory Rodrigues for now. 

Watch Anthony Hernandez discuss the possibility of his second MMA encounter against Sean Strickland below (*comments at the 4:10-minute mark of the video):