UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Hernandez took place on February 21, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston. The card was headlined by a middleweight matchup between former champion Sean Strickland and contender Anthony Hernandez. The event featured a mix of established names and rising fighters, with several bouts carrying divisional implications.
The Houston crowd saw multiple finishes across the night, including a decisive stoppage in the main event that reshaped the middleweight conversation.
Main Event: Sean Strickland vs Anthony Hernandez
The headline bout was scheduled for five rounds at middleweight. Hernandez entered on a strong run of wins, while Strickland was looking to secure a statement victory.
The opening two rounds were competitive. Strickland used his jab and steady forward pressure to manage distance, while Hernandez attempted to close the gap and mix his attacks. In the third round, Strickland began landing more consistently. A knee to the body opened the sequence, followed by a sustained combination of punches that forced the referee to step in. The fight was stopped at 2:23 of round three, giving Strickland a TKO win.
The result ended Hernandez’s streak and reinserted Strickland into the middleweight title picture.
Co-Main Event and Other Main Card Fights
In the co-main event, Uros Medic knocked out Geoff Neal in the first round with a clean left hook. The finish came quickly and changed the direction of the welterweight matchup.
Melquizael Costa also secured a first-round stoppage, defeating Dan Ige after landing a spinning back kick and following up with punches near the fence. It was one of the more direct finishes on the card.
The heavyweight bout between Serghei Spivac and Ante Delija went the full three rounds, with Spivac earning a unanimous decision after controlling key stretches of the fight. Jacobe Smith added another early stoppage to the night with a first-round knockout over Josiah Harrell. Michel Pereira closed out the main card with a split decision victory against Zach Reese in a closely contested contest.
UFC Houston Main Card Results
| Fight | Result | Method | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Strickland vs Anthony Hernandez | Strickland def. Hernandez | TKO (strikes) | 3 | 2:23 |
| Uroš Medić vs Geoff Neal | Medić def. Neal | KO (left hook) | 1 | 1:19 |
| Melquizael Costa vs Dan Ige | Costa def. Ige | TKO (spinning back kick & punches) | 1 | 4:56 |
| Serghei Spivac vs Ante Delija | Spivac def. Delija | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Jacobe Smith vs Josiah Harrell | Smith def. Harrell | KO (punches) | 1 | 3:01 |
| Michel Pereira vs Zach Reese | Pereira def. Reese | Decision (split) | 3 | 5:00 |
The main takeaway from UFC Houston is Sean Strickland’s return to a finishing performance in a high-profile fight. With multiple stoppages on the main card and clear outcomes across divisions, the event created movement in the middleweight, welterweight and heavyweight rankings. As the UFC schedule moves forward in 2026, several of the night’s winners are likely to find themselves in larger matchups in the months ahead.
