Tag: Alexander Hernandez

UFC 246 free fight: Donald Cerrone humbles Alex Hernandez at UFC Brooklyn

Relive Donald Cerrone’s spectacular performance as he finished rising contender Alexander Hernandez at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] might be a record-breaking great of the UFC octagon, but the UFC stalwart typically doesn’t engage in trash-talking his opponents before fights.

So, when No. 11-ranked lightweight contender [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] decided to make some noise and fire a salvo of verbal jabs in “Cowboy’s” direction ahead of their bout at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in Brooklyn, N.Y., in January 2019, it raised more than a few eyebrows.

But rather than opting to respond in kind, Cerrone laughed off the trash talk, bided his time, then delivered retribution in the old-fashioned way when the pair met inside the octagon on fight night.

A seemingly laser-focused Cerrone produced a brilliant performance, as he weathered some strong early pressure from Hernandez before finishing his man with a superb display of striking at Barclays Center.

Hernandez came out aggressively from the start and caught Cerrone with a solid uppercut in the early exchanges. But a head kick, then a takedown, from Cerrone served notice of what was to come later in the contest from “Cowboy.”

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Hernandez kept pushing forward, looking to overwhelm Cerrone with his early work-rate, but the octagon veteran stayed composed and, after adjusting to the pace, found his mark with some nasty close-range punches and elbows. Cerrone then turned up the heat in the final minute of the round, connecting with more elbows and punches, and connecting with a beautifully-timed knee when Hernandez looked to change levels in search of a takedown.

And with the crowd on its feet hailing a superb opening five minutes, Hernandez headed back to the corner busted up and bleeding, while Cerrone calmly strolled back to his stool, seemingly without a care in the world.

It set things up perfectly for the second round and, after shrugging off an early Hernandez clinch, Cerrone picked up where he left off as he landed more solid punches from range, and punishing knees and elbows from the clinch.

Daniel Cormier suggested on commentary that Cerrone should finish his punching salvos with a kick, but “Cowboy” switched things up by opening with one, as he connected with a huge head-kick that dropped Hernandez to the mat.

Cerrone then followed his man to the mat and finished him with strikes to score a statement victory and show the the world that he remains one of the best finishers on the UFC roster. Recap Cerrone’s crowd-pleasing finish via the video above.

Cerrone returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 18 against Conor McGregor in the highly-anticipated main event of UFC 246 in Las Vegas. And a repeat performance from “Cowboy” would be just the way for Cerrone and his fans to kick off 2020 in style.

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Alexander Hernandez calls out Anthony Pettis, declares 2020 his ‘year of fornication’

Alexander Hernandez has officially declared 2020 his ‘Year of Fornication.’

[autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] has officially declared 2020 his ‘Year of Fornication.’

A tough 2019 saw Hernandez (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) suffer his first UFC loss, sustain an injury which required surgery, and only compete three times – a non-ideal rate by his standards.

Now in the final stages of recovery from shoulder surgery, Hernandez is itching to return and he has his sights set on a former UFC lightweight champion.

Thursday morning, Hernandez tweeted at [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], challenging him to a fight in February. When speaking to MMA Junkie on Thursday afternoon, Hernandez explained the callout was the first step to him to make up for lost time.

“I’m entering 2020 ready to fornicate,” Hernandez said. “That’s the name of the game. I’m trying to blast off and make this year my year. I think Anthony Pettis is the spark to ignite the rocket for my 2020 ‘Year Of Fornication.’ I just feel like he’s just another good jumping pad for me. I think I’ve got a vast amount of ground to make up for in a short amount of time.”

Throughout his recovery, Hernandez said he’s been in close contact with the UFC. Recently, Hernandez was offered a fight against Pettis in December, but was forced to turn it down as he had not fully recovered from his procedure. The offer set his mental wheels in motion.

“When I had the opportunity to fight him in December, I had to turn it down because of my shoulder,” Hernandez said. “That’s just been my target. I got really excited when they offered me that. I’ve been thinking about nonstop since.

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“He’s the candidate to choose, because he’s right on my mind and I’m motivated. He’s obviously an exciting opponent. I’ve watched him forever. The public has watched him forever. He’s made his name in this business and this game for a reason. Just the thought of it is a huge thrill for me.”

Not only does Hernandez view the matchup as stylistically favorable, he wants the world to know he’s not a gun shy, “play it safe and eke out a decision” kind of fighter. The lightweight killer who flattened Beneil Dariush at UFC 195 is still present, Hernandez believes. A fight against Pettis would prove it.

“I definitely want to eradicate the idea that I’m scared or that I’m humbled to a degree that I don’t fight my fight any more,” Hernandez said. “With a fight like this and this kind of opponent, I plan to go out there and starch. I want to bring that murk wagon back around and go toe-to-toe and take Pettis out. There’s not a position or facet in this game that I think he’s better than me at. He breaks. He’s very breakable. And I break things.”

Hernandez perceives the public’s doubt comes from his lone UFC loss. After talking smack to Donald Cerrone in their lead-up to UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January, Hernandez was TKO’d by “Cowboy” in round 2.

Hernandez views the Pettis matchup as being similar to Cerrone. The difference? Hernandez believes he’ll be able to merge his killer instinct and discipline – something fight fans have yet to see from him in the UFC.

“Now having the experience that I have to slow down and breathe to appreciate that wounded animal, I can make the kill,” Hernandez said. “I think that’ll make all the difference. I won’t be so excited by the name or the lights or by the stage. I think that his type of game is really his willingness to throw, his ability to do it, and the flashy style. That’ll make it an exciting fight.

“We both will say we’re going in there to put each other’s heads out, but I guarantee I’ll be the only one going for it. ”

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