UFC middleweight contender Anthony Hernandez issued a statement following his unanimous decision loss to Gregory Rodrigues at UFC Sacramento.
Hernandez and Rodrigues traded five hard rounds, with the Brazilian “Robocop” getting his hand raised at the end of a 25-minute war. It was a phenomenal fight between the two middleweights, who each won $100,000 for Fight of the Night.
After the bout, Hernandez — a Sacramento native who was hoping to get his hand raised on his home soil — took to his social media and shared a statement with his fans.
Anthony Hernandez Issues Statement Following Loss at UFC Sacramento
Check out what Hernandez wrote on his social media after his loss to Rodrigues at UFC Sacramento.
“Thank you Sacramento ! Felt all the (expletive) love. Gave it my all out there! congratulations to @gregoryrodriguesmma,” Hernandez wrote on his Instagram.
What’s Next for Anthony Hernandez?
After losing to Rodrigues, Hernandez has now lost two straight fights, after losing to Sean Strickland by knockout earlier this year.
Given that the California native came into 2026 on an eight-fight win streak and was closing in on title contention at 185 lbs, he is obviously a lot further away from the belt than when he once was, because losing two straight fights is a killer when it comes to collecting a title shot in the UFC’s middleweight division.
Look for the UFC to give Hernandez a step down in his next fight, potentially fighting someone coming off multiple losses like former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, or possibly even fighting someone on a win streak who is trying to break into the upper echelon of the weight class, such as Bo Nickal.
While Hernandez is still a great fighter, and he proved that by going 25 brutal minutes with a killer like Rodrigues, the fact of the matter is that he has lost two straight fights, so it’s time to rebuild.
It will also be interesting to see if Hernandez considers a move down to 170 lbs, as it would give him a fresh start in a new weight class, and he would also have the size advantage at welterweight.
Anthony Hernandez Issues Statement After UFC Sacramento Loss