Alexander Hernandez

Overview

Six UFC wins by knockout, none by submission, and four of them inside the first round. Alexander Hernandez, "El Gran Chango," is a lightweight with an 11-8 UFC record, and the 19-9-0 mark across all promotions tells you most of his career has happened in the Octagon.

He debuted in March 2018 with a 42-second TKO of Beneil Dariush, and the knockout power has been the through-line ever since. He carries a one-fight win streak into his next fight.

Power on one side, a lot of tight decisions on the other.

UFC Career

The start was fast. After the Dariush finish, he beat Olivier Aubin-Mercier by unanimous decision, then ran into Donald Cerrone, one of the elite opponents of his career, and lost by second-round TKO in January 2019. A unanimous decision over Francisco Trinaldo followed.

The 2020 to 2023 stretch was uneven. He lost to Drew Dober by TKO, beat Chris Gruetzemacher and Mike Breeden by first-round knockout, then dropped a decision to Thiago Moises. A submission loss to Renato Moicano in round two and a TKO loss to Billy Quarantillo came next, though a decision win over Jim Miller followed.

Then the decisions piled up. He lost to Bill Algeo and, by split decision, to Damon Jackson, before turning things around with a split-decision win over Austin Hubbard at UFC 307 and a unanimous decision over Kurt Holobaugh. That run reached four straight wins, his longest in the UFC, once he stopped Chase Hooper in the first round and Diego Ferreira in the second. Both were strong opponents.

A unanimous decision loss to Rafa Garcia snapped the streak. He answered with a second-round TKO of Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 332.

Hooper went down at 4:58 of round one. That's as close to a first-round finish as it gets.

Fighting Style

Across his UFC career, Hernandez lands more strikes per minute than most and is harder to hit than most, though his accuracy is worse than average. He absorbs about what a typical UFC fighter does.

The grappling profile is a contrast. He doesn't chase takedowns and almost never hunts submissions, but his takedown defense is among the best in the UFC. He keeps fights standing, not on the mat.

The finish pattern backs that up. All six of his UFC finishes are knockouts: four in round one, two in round two. His own losses are more mixed, with three TKOs, one submission and four decisions.

Notable Wins

• Beneil Dariush — KO/TKO, round 1 (0:42), UFC 222 (2018)
• Chase Hooper — KO/TKO, round 1 (4:58), UFC 319 (2025)
• Diego Ferreira — KO/TKO, round 2 (3:46), Noche UFC (2025)
• Rafael Dos Anjos — KO/TKO, round 2 (3:12), UFC 332 (2026)

Quick Facts

• Division: Lightweight
• UFC record: 11-8 (6 KO/TKO wins, 5 decision wins)
• Professional record (all promotions): 19-9-0
• UFC debut: March 2, 2018
• Height: 5'9"
• Reach: 72"
• Born: St. Louis, MO, United States
• Nickname: El Gran Chango