Anthony Hernandez trains with Sean Strickland after UFC loss

Anthony Hernandez is training with the man who stopped him earlier this year.

Hernandez told Ariel Helwani that he has been working frequently with Sean Strickland ahead of his August 22 headliner against Gregory Rodrigues at UFC Sacramento. Strickland submitted Hernandez in the third round of their February bout, then parlayed that win into a title shot against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, where he recaptured the middleweight strap in April.

Strickland reached out before Chimaev fight

According to Hernandez, Strickland first asked him to train for the Chimaev matchup, but an injury kept Hernandez sidelined. He promised they would link up eventually. With Hernandez shifting more of this camp to the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, the two middleweights are now sparring regularly at Strickland's home base of Xtreme Couture.

"He's a cool dude, man. I got nothing bad to say about the guy," Hernandez said on The Ariel Helwani Show, per Sherdog. "That motherf***er's tough as hell, bro. He's a tough son of a bitch."

Hernandez, who trains out of MMA Gold Fight Team in California, entered the Strickland bout as a sizable favourite but was outboxed after his wrestling game was shut down. He holds a 15-3 record and will look to rebound against Rodrigues in Sacramento.

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• Sherdog — Anthony Hernandez praises former foe Sean Strickland: 'He’s a cool dude'