Anthony Hernandez hopes Reinier de Ridder win leads to Khamzat Chimaev UFC title fight
There was a belief that Hernandez could be among the candidates to next fight newly crowned champion Khamzat Chimaev, especially if "The Wolf" made a quick turnaround for October after taking the belt off Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319.
That possibility fizzled just days after Saturday's event, however, when the promotion announced Hernandez (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) would headline UFC Fight Night 262 on Oct. 18 in Vancouver against fellow streaking contender Reinier de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who was also pushing for the shot.
"I was getting a massage and I got the offer and they said, 'I think this is an offer you don't want to pass.' And I said, 'OK, run it. Sign the contract.' Now we're here," Hernandez told MMA Junkie. "If this is what I've got to do, let's keep going. Like I said, if I've got to knock every mother f*cker down until I get to the top, then so be it."
Hernandez admits he was hopeful the Chimaev fight would materialize, but he's not fretting it. He loves to fight and loves to step in that octagon. However, Hernandez already has the longest UFC winning streak of any middleweight in company history without getting a title shot, so more should seal the deal.
"At the end of the day I'm not matchmaker," Hernandez said. "I'm not Dana White. I don't make the calls. He says, 'Be here.' And I say, 'I'm in.' If I'm f*cking healthy, I'm there. I'll f*cking never say no to anybody in this f*cking division.
"At that point it's like, what the f*ck am I going to do? At that point if people don't believe me, then f*ck 'em. We're going to keep sending that sh*t until we get everyone on our side."
It remains to be seen how the weight class will unfold going forward with Chimaev at the helm. Hernandez will be a prominent factor with a win, however, and after what he saw from Chimaev at UFC 319, he likes his chances in that potential showdown.
"I thought DDP would actually have answers and stuff, but turns out he just got away with being a f*cking big strong guy for a long time," Hernandez said. "Against a high-level wrestler, if you try to be strong, it just sets up traps. He found that out that night. There's levels to this shit, and I think I'm on that level. Eventually when the fight comes I'll be ready for it, but it's one fight at a time for me. Next fight is de Ridder so I'll just strategize against him and just f*cking keep climbing the rankings."
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