Alexander Hernandez believes he has a lot of reflection ahead of him following his recent loss at UFC 271.
Hernandez faced Renato Moicano in a main card matchup at Saturday’s event at the Toyota Center in Houston and was submitted via rear naked choke in the second round. It was the first time in Hernandez’s 18-fight pro career that he was defeated by submission.
On Monday, the 28-year-old released a statement in regards to the loss via his Instagram page, beginning things by thanking the UFC and the fans from his home state of Texas, while also hoping to find some positivity in the career resurgence of the current UFC lightweight champion.
“I am, of course, extremely disappointed in myself,” Hernandez stated. The vulnerability of the sport is what makes it brutal. That was a quick turn of events. Good counter combo and snag to the body he caught with that knee — hadn’t felt that before. Awesome job and hats off to my opponent.
“I don’t know what’s next. This one was quite defeating. Maybe try my hand in digital art or fly drones for sport, I hear that’s making a killing. More seriously, I’ve got a lot to reflect on. Although they aren’t irrational, the initial reactions to the fight were unforgiving. Need time to level the head. Part idiot, part deluded, I will probably try this one more time to make sure all screws are tight. We’ll see.
“Gratitude to truly live and to have the chance to fail in such large numbers. I pray to the Charles Oliveira Gods for wisdom
Days before the event, Hernandez made headlines in a recent interview with MMA Fighting when he expressed his frustrations on the original placement of the lightweight bout on the PPV lineup. The matchup was originally scheduled to take place on the early ESPN+ prelims, but after Alex Perez’s weight miss led to his flyweight matchup with Matt Schnell to be scratched from the card, the promotion opted to bump the fight between Hernandez and Moicano to the main card.
Since bursting on the scene with a short notice first-round finish of Beneil Dariush at UFC 222, Hernandez has gone 4-4 inside the octagon — flip-flopping wins and losses throughout the eight fight stretch.
