Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez has announced that he’s had to withdraw from his UFC 302 fight with Roman Dolidze in Newark, New Jersey on June 1st due to injuring his hand while training.
“On Friday while training I sustained an injury,” Hernandez wrote on X. “I got my MRI results back this morning and unfortunately due to a torn ligament in my hand, I will no longer be able to fight on June 1. I want to apologize to the @ufc , my opponent, & the best matchmaker @mickmaynard2 but this was not an injury I could push through. I hope for a quick return and be back in the cage before summer ends. Thank you to all my fans, friends & family for the continued support … the journey continues ♂️.”
The 30-year-old Hernandez is currently ranked No.12 in the middleweight division after going on a five-fight winning streak over the past three years.
Along the way he’s picked up stoppage wins over the likes of Rodolfo Vieira, Marc-Andre Barriault, Edmen Shahbazyan and most recently Roman Kopylov, leaving him poised for a push into the division’s top 10 if he could keep that streak going.
It’s not known yet whether the No.9 ranked Dolidze will be kept on the card as the 29-year-old attempts to rebound from back-to-back losses against Marvin Vettori and Nassourdine Imavov.
As things stand UFC 302 proceeds with an event headlined by a lightweight title fight between current champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier, while Sean Strickland fights Paulo Costa in the co-main event.
