Strickland's Violent UFC Houston Finish
Sean Strickland delivered his most violent finish at UFC Houston Fight Night, stopping Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez in the main event. The card also featured Geoff Neal getting knocked out cold in Round 1 by Uros Medic in a don't-blink moment. UFC Houston highlighted knockouts and scorecard drama involving Paddy Pimblett versus Gaethje.
- The main event saw Sean Strickland land 110 total strikes to Anthony Hernandez's 55, ending the fight via TKO at 2:23 of the third round. This victory snapped Hernandez's eight-fight winning streak. - Prior to the event, the 35-year-old Strickland stated he has about three years of fighting left before he plans to retire. His win over Hernandez puts the former middleweight champion back into the title contention picture. - Uros Medic's knockout of Geoff Neal at 1:19 of the first round marked his third consecutive first-round finish. For the veteran Neal, it was his fourth loss in his last five fights. - After his victory, Medic, who has never had a fight go to the judges in his career, called for a matchup with #8 ranked welterweight Leon Edwards. - The scorecard drama mentioned involved Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje from UFC 324 in January, not UFC Houston. Gaethje won the interim lightweight title via a unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 49-46, and 49-46. - Controversy in the Pimblett vs. Gaethje bout stemmed from multiple accidental eye pokes by Gaethje, for which no points were deducted. Pimblett later argued the fouls significantly impacted his vision and the outcome of the fight. - The loss to Gaethje was Pimblett's first defeat inside the UFC, ending his seven-fight winning streak with the promotion.
