Anthony Hernandez has carved out a niche in the UFC middleweight division by making every contest a personal contract with violence. Raised in Dunigan, California, a town of fewer than 1,500 residents, Hernandez earned his “Fluffy” moniker after a period of excess weight as a kickboxer. His coach scrawled the nickname on his arm with a marker to light a fire under him, and the name stuck because, as Hernandez put it, “no one expects it”.
Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez Embraces Chaos in the UFC
Hernandez stepped into the UFC in early 2019 and quickly earned a reputation for finishes. He debuted at UFC Fight Night against Markus Pérez and suffered a second-round loss by anaconda choke, but answered back five months later by submitting Jun Yong Park in the second round. That willingness to engage fueled his upset of Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 258 in February 2021, when he locked in a guillotine choke and secured Performance of the Night honors. Since then, Hernandez has won eight of nine bouts and compiled a seven-fight winning streak, including stoppages of Edmen Shahbazyan, Roman Kopylov, Michel Pereira, and Roman Dolidze.
Throughout his UFC ascent, Hernandez has maintained a singular focus on violence and payday. “All I want to do is just go handle one fight at a time, go handle this business, make a statement like I think I know I’m going to, and then the rest plays itself out,” he said, speaking to MMA Junkie.
When asked what motivates him most inside the octagon, he did not mention belts or legacy; instead, he laid out his priorities plainly: “I’m just here for the violence and the money.”
“Fun if you don’t know if you’re going to die or not. You know what I mean? Are you really having fun if you don’t? At the end of the day, it’s how you want to be remembered, man. I want to be remembered as a [expletive] always trying to finish [expletive], no matter where it is – on the floor, on the feet. When I die one day, people will remember my [expletive].”
He acknowledges that contenders who pile up decisions can secure ranking points and title shots, but he rejects a path marked by caution. “Nobody remembers a boring fighter, I’m sorry. Maybe because they won a bunch of fights, like, they’re going to be in gold forever, right? Because they win a bunch of fights. But I don’t know – I don’t want to be remembered like that, bro. I want to be remembered as a [expletive] that’s willing to go to war every [expletive] time.”
That mindset has earned him not only fans but also the respect of high-profile opponents and pundits who recognize that Hernandez will never back down from a firefight.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 19: (L-R) Anthony Hernandez punches Michel Pereira of Brazil in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 19, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Anthony Hernandez’s most recent appearance came on August 9, 2025, at UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Hernandez, where he headlined against Roman Dolidze. From the opening bell, Hernandez imposed his pressure – landing heavy strikes, securing takedowns and wearing down Dolidze’s gas tank – before locking in a rear-naked choke 2:45 into the fourth round to become the first fighter in Dolidze’s career to finish him and extend his own winning streak to eight bouts.
His next outing is booked for October 18, 2025, in Vancouver, where he will headline UFC Fight Night against former ONE Championship two-division titleholder Reinier de Ridder. The matchup promises a clash of high-level grapplers with Hernandez’s pace and submission instincts going up against de Ridder’s size and elite ground control in a fight that could propel the victor toward a middleweight title opportunity.
