LAS VEGAS – It’d been a rough go for Alexander Hernandez as of late when he entered a short-notice fight against the all-time leader in UFC appearances Saturday at the UFC Apex.
Like his two most recent fights, Hernandez (14-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) was competitive from the opening bell at UFC Fight Night 219. This time, unlike the others however, he maintained his success – and won a unanimous decision over Jim Miller (35-17 MMA, 24-16 UFC).
Visibly relieved, Hernandez, 30, told reporters at a post-fight news conference he was “elated” by the victory, which was his first since October 2021.
“Man, I’ve been my worst enemy. I feel like I’m the only one who’s defeated myself in the octagon, so it’s been a road to get here,” Hernandez said. “Me and my coaches have had some really long, hard talks. I felt like I proved a lot to myself and even to Jim’s corner. I know Jim’s corner. When his ass was blitzing me, they thought that was going to be it, that I was going to fold on that. I told my corner in between rounds, ‘He’s going down. I’m going up. I’m going to break his ass. I’m not folding.’ That was really important to me, to show myself, to show the organization, to show the world that I’m not just this one-round hitter.
“Kudos to Jim because I cracked the sh*t out of him with probably four hard shots that I thought were going to be it. I just tried to exercise patience and not get overzealous to close the show. He’s tough and I’m extremely proud to get a win over a legend like Jim Miller.”
Hernandez admits that negative self-thoughts were what drove change. The uncomfortable struggle motivated positive change. It worked and now he’s back on track with a win in his first bout of 2023.
“Self-loathing – I was so mad at myself and wanted to redeem,” Hernandez said. “I owed it to myself and I owed it to my coaches. I owed it to my team and my family, everyone who put so much investment in me. The way I’m losing these fights isn’t fair to any of them and myself. The need for redemption, that’s what I credit.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 219.
Alexander Hernandez loathed himself in order to win at UFC Fight Night 219: ‘I was so mad at myself’
