What will be next for Anthony Hernandez?
Anthony Hernandez ran the rails on Michel Pereira last night at UFC Vegas 99. With that career best win, the future is bright for what could be the biggest dark horse in the UFC’s middleweight division. Let’s take a look at some of the more fun options for “Fluffy.”
Anthony Hernandez vs. Brendan Allen: Best option for both
Perhaps the best option for both fighters, Anthony Hernandez and Brendan Allen is an incredibly good fight. Allen is coming off of his tough loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Paris. That fight put Imavov to the top of the division. Allen, on the other hand, will have to fight down.
Anthony Hernandez will need to fight up now. Hernandez has now won six straight fights and beat Eden Shahbazyan, Roman Kopylov, and Michel Pereira in his last three. It’s now time for Hernandez to get another step up. Allen, a wrestler in his own right, could show potential holes in Hernandez wrestling and would be an insanely scrambly fight.
Paulo Costa, mtfk
If we want to get Anthony Hernandez and his all action style in front of more eyes, Paulo Costa is the way to go. Costa is ranked ninth at this time and Hernandez may move up a spot with he and Chimaev jumping 11th ranked Jack Hermansson. Costa, a well known fighter and somewhat loved by fans, would give Hernandez a huge stage to fight on.
Costa is down two on the trot with losses to Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland in 2024. He’s not been on a great run in recent years, either, being 1-4 in his last five fights. To pass the torch, let’s see if Costa can handle the pressure and volume of Hernandez.
The real test: Marvin Vettori
Marvin Vettori is the toughest fight for Anthony Hernandez that is realistically an option. Vettori has insane takedown defense. But his last fight saw Jared Cannonier score four takedowns and three minutes of control time. Vettori is generally a tough fighter to take down, however.
Anthony Hernandez would get an option to face a fighter that could give him trouble as he pushes Vettori to the fence. And with Marvin Vettori fighting for a title once upon a time, that name in the win column of Anthony Hernandez would be fantastic for his case for a future title shot.
