UFC middleweight Anthony Hernandez criticized referee Herb Dean for not taking a point away from Gregory Rodrigues at UFC Sacramento.
Hernandez fought Rodrigues in the main event of UFC Sacramento, ultimately coming up short on the judges’ scorecards when the Brazilian won a unanimous decision in an incredible matchup that won Fight of the Night.
After the card was over, Hernandez spoke to the media and expressed frustration with the referee for not taking a point away from Rodrigues for grabbing his gloves.
Anthony Hernandez Criticizes Herb Dean
Speaking to the media at the UFC Sacramento post-fight press conference, Hernandez became just the latest in a long line of UFC fighters to criticize Dean.
“I told (expletive) Herb, ‘This (expletive) grabbed my glove like four times.’ And I was like, ‘Hey, he’s grabbing my gloves.’ And he told him, ‘Hey, stop.’ But I mean, whatever, don’t take a point. Whatever. (Expletive) it. I guess people like to cheat, so it is what it is,” Hernandez said.
What’s Next For Anthony Hernandez?
Entering 2026, Hernandez was riding an eight-fight win streak and was looking like a future middleweight title contender, if not a future champion.
However, this year has not been kind to Hernandez, who has lost both of his fights in 2026: first a TKO loss to Sean Strickland at UFC Houston, and now a unanimous decision loss to Rodrigues at UFC Sacramento.
While Hernandez is still one of the top-ranked middleweights in the UFC, back-to-back losses never look good on any fighter, so it will be interesting to see who the UFC matches Hernandez up with next as he looks to get back into title contention in a deep weight class.
It would also be interesting to see whether Hernandez could drop to 170 lbs, as he appeared significantly smaller than Rodrigues at UFC Sacramento. Hernandez is not the type of fighter who is cutting mass amounts of weight to make his weight class, so it could be feasible for him to drop down an extra 15 lbs and try to get a fresh start in a lower weight class against new opponents.
Herb Dean Criticized by Anthony Hernandez After UFC Sacramento