UFC Fight Night Scorecards Revealed

Judges' decisions from Strickland vs. Hernandez main event in Houston

Feb. 21, 2026 at 10:00pm

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The UFC returned to Houston, Texas for the first time in four years with a high-stakes middleweight main event between former champion Sean Strickland and No. 4 ranked contender Anthony Hernandez. The official scorecards from the judges have now been released, providing insight into how the closely contested fight was decided.

Why it matters

Scorecards from major UFC events are closely analyzed by fans and media to understand how the judges arrived at their decisions, especially in close fights that could have gone either way. This information provides transparency into the judging process and can impact future matchmaking and title contention discussions.

The details

The judges' scorecards showed that the main event between Strickland and Hernandez was a closely contested affair, with one judge scoring it 48-47 for Strickland, another 48-47 for Hernandez, and the third judge scoring it an even 47-47 draw. This split decision victory for Strickland keeps him in the title picture at middleweight, while Hernandez narrowly missed out on a potential upset win.

  • The UFC Fight Night event took place on February 21, 2026 in Houston, Texas.

The players

Sean Strickland

A former UFC middleweight champion and current No. 3 ranked contender in the division.

Anthony Hernandez

The No. 4 ranked middleweight contender who narrowly lost to Strickland in the main event.

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What they’re saying

“It was a close fight, but I felt like I did enough to get the win. Hernandez is a tough guy and gave me a real challenge.”

— Sean Strickland (UFC.com)

What’s next

Strickland's split decision victory over Hernandez likely puts him in line for another high-profile middleweight matchup as he continues his pursuit of regaining the UFC title.

The takeaway

The close scorecards in the Strickland vs. Hernandez main event highlight the fine margins at the elite level of MMA, where even the slightest edge can be the difference between victory and defeat. This underscores the importance of clear and transparent judging to maintain the integrity of the sport.