Anthony Hernandez kept his momentum going at UFC 298 with another impressive submission win to add to his resume.
This time Hernandez put in work against a frightening striker in Roman Kopylov, who didn’t give him an inch until the fight finally landed on the floor in the second round. Once Hernandez had control on his terms, he shredded Kopylov’s defense and locked on the fight ending rear-naked choke.
The end came with Kopylov tapping out at 3:23 in the second round.
“I just had to get out of my own way,” Hernandez said about the win. “I mess up a lot. I’m done messing up, I want to make my run for the title. I’ve been conditioning my body. I’m ready to show the world.”
Well known for his precision striking, Kopylov set the tone early with some nasty body kicks and a lead jab that continuously found a home on Hernandez’s chin. In return, Hernandez closed the distance and looked for the takedown, although Kopylov refused to let him drag the fight to the ground.
Kopylov started to get a little bit looser with his striking in the second round as he began upping his volume and throwing with more power behind all of his shots. While he managed to connect with several stinging kicks as well as some well-timed punches to the body, Hernandez just kept inviting Kopylov to come after him.
That aggression allowed Hernandez to turn to his grappling again as he slipped inside for a picture-perfect double-leg takedown to put Kopylov on the canvas. It didn’t take long for Hernandez to advance his position to get behind Kopylov and lock onto his back as he began searching for submissions.
It appeared that Hernandez had the rear-naked choke applied but somehow Kopylov fought out of the hold. It was momentary success as Hernandez just made a quick adjustment and this time he got the arms completely under the chin and he tightened his grip, which forced Kopylov to tap out.
Hernandez has now earned five wins in a row with four ending by knockout or submission as he continues his climb up the middleweight ranks. This latest performance should probably get him noticed enough for ranked competition in the near future.