UFC Fight Night Houston brings a middleweight clash between Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez. The winner here could easily get a shot at Khamzat Chimaev and the belt, which is why many see it as a title-eliminator battle, even though it’s not officially confirmed.
Apart from this event, there is the co-main event in the welterweight division between Geoff Neal and Uros Medic. The winner of this one might earn a headline fight in the future and that especially applies to Medic.
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Strickland VS Hernandez Preview
Sean Strickland is 29-7 in his pro-MMA career, with him being 4-4 in the last eight battles. Though we have to admit that he faced nothing but elite names in the division, and the best of the best.
After losing to Pereira via KO and a controversial split decision defeat to Jared Cannonier, he went on to beat Imavov, Magomedov, and eventually Adesanya to win the belt. After that, he lost to Du Plessis via split decision, beat Paulo Costa the same way and lost to Dricuss via unanimous decision.
Strickland is a powerful boxer who isn’t into wrestling or grappling, but his takedown defense is very good. When mentioning boxing, it’s probably the best in the division. He is also the best trash-talker in the division, possibly the UFC, and the reason why people love him.
Sean Strickland went OFF on the Houston crowd for booing him ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
"Listen here you mother f**kers. You might want your local Mexican to win… but there's only one motherf**ker who stands and bangs.
Your f***ing guy wrestles, I fight more like a Mexican than that motherf**ker.… pic.twitter.com/zVYzBRLV3Y
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 20, 2026
Hernandez had a rocky start in the UFC, but he pulled his stuff together and eventually managed to put up an 8-bout winning streak that lasted for 5 years. To be perfectly honest, his rivals weren’t like Strickland’s, but it’s still impressive because he had 6 finishes.
He managed to beat guys like Edmen Shabazyan, Roman Kopylov, Michel Pereira, Brendan Allen, and lastly Roma Dolidze, whom he managed to finish via rear-naked choke in August last year.
He is 15-2 with one no contest, and 9 of those wins came via submission. Hernandez is a dominant grappler who knows his way on the mat, and he showed very good cardio in recent battles. Against Pereira, he came into the 5th round, and he beat Dolidze in the 4th.
Strickland VS Hernandez Predictions
Now, Strickland did well against grapplers and wrestlers, managing to keep them restrained and rebuffing their takedown attempts in most cases. Though he is 36 years old and has a nasty history, we are sure that Father Time isn’t on his side here.
Hernandez showcased his skill against Dolidze, and we have to say that his battles against Michel Pereira and Allen convinced us that he has what it takes to challenge Strickland and probably beat him. Why? Because of his cardio and his previous battles, where he met solid strikers and boxers.
Pick: Hernandez
Neal VS Medic Preview
“Handz of Steel,” Neal is a veteran coming off a big KO loss to Carlos Prates last August. He has lost three of his last 4 appearances and isn’t a contender for a title match anymore. Though a win here could help him make one more push to the top.
This guy, as his nickname suggests, is a powerful puncher who has 16 wins and 7 losses, 10 of those triumphs coming via KO.
Medic is a guy who is a powerful puncher too, and the fan favorite due to his bombastic fight style. He has 12 wins and 3 losses, with 10 by KO, most in the opening round.
His last battle was against Muslim Salikhov, whom he trashed in the first round via KO. This is by far the biggest battle of his career.
Neal VS Medic Predictions
One thing is sure here: there will be a stoppage in this battle, and by a method of knockout. Both guys have bombs in their hands, and we expect to see a highlight reel here.
Pick: Stoppage by KO
