5 Top Fighters Signed By The UFC In 2018

#3 Alexander Hernandez

Alexander Hernandez upset Beneil Dariush in his UFC debut

Due to the unforgiving nature of professional MMA training, injuries happen in the build-up to UFC fights all of the time. Each year sees plenty of unknown fighters signed by the world’s biggest promotion to step in on late notice as last-minute replacements. If we’re honest, few of them see real success in the Octagon.

There’s always the odd exception though, and in 2018, that exception has been Alexander Hernandez. Signed by the UFC in March, Hernandez stepped in as a replacement for the injured Bobby Green to face top fifteen-ranked Beneil Dariush at UFC 222. It sounded like an awful way to debut – Dariush hadn’t won since 2016, but names like Michael Johnson, James Vick and Jim Miller counted amongst his victims.

Evidently, Hernandez didn’t care for Dariush’s reputation. In one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, he came out aggressively; caught Dariush with a haymaker left hand, and the fight was over in just 42 seconds. It was the most impressive UFC debut in some time.

Better still, Hernandez has since followed up the win by defeating Olivier Aubin-Mercier in his own wheelhouse – out-grappling the Canadian to a three-round decision. Now ranked as the #13 Lightweight in the UFC, it appears the sky is the limit for this 2018 signing going into his third Octagon appearance, and judging on what he’s done so far, who’d bet against him?