Anthony Hernandez releases statement after UFC Houston defeat

Anthony Hernandez addressed his third-round TKO defeat to Sean Strickland in the UFC Houston headliner, underscoring the bout's middleweight stakes. Strickland stopped Hernandez with punches at 2:23 of Round 3 at Toyota Center after a knee to the body set up the finish. The UFC Houston main event ended Hernandez's eight-bout winning streak and returned Strickland to championship contention. Hernandez thanked fans on Instagram, said the fight felt smooth until a body shot, and vowed to come back, noting it had been six years since he was last beaten. A win could have made him next in line for a 185-pound title shot. His streak included victories over Roman Dolidze, Brendan Allen, Michel Pereira, and Roman Kopylov.