UFC on Fox 30: 5 talking points

#4 Alexander Hernandez – the next big thing at 155lbs?

Alexander Hernandez could be the breakout fighter of 2018

When fighters as good as Michael Chiesa, James Vick and Francisco Trinaldo aren’t even in the top ten, you know a division must be loaded with talent. That’s certainly the case with the UFC’s Lightweight division right now, as the likes of Kevin Lee and Dustin Poirier have continued to rise through the ranks this year. But we may have seen the next big thing last night in the division last night in the form of Alexander Hernandez.

Hernandez debuted in the UFC in March and although he made a big splash by KOing the once-highly ranked Beneil Dariush, that fight was so quick – 42 seconds – that we didn’t learn a lot about the Texan. Last night he was faced with Canadian grappler Olivier Aubin-Mercier, and although it was clear Hernandez had a chance due to his punching power, most observers were favouring Aubin-Mercier due to his tight grappling and UFC experience.

Instead, Hernandez picked up another win – and surprisingly enough, for the most part, he used his ground game to do so, taking Aubin-Mercier down on numerous occasions, outworking him in the clinch and generally wearing the Canadian out in his own wheelhouse.

With two big wins under his belt and a skillset that could probably have anyone in the division in trouble, Hernandez may well find himself inside the UFC’s top ten after just two fights come Monday. That’s a major boon, and if he can get another big win in his third UFC outing, then he could break into the title scene quicker than anyone could’ve anticipated. He could end up as the breakout fighter of 2018 when all is said and done.