Now, fighters are required to produce physical paperwork to verify their heritage in the UFC. In fact, a U.S.-born Mexican fighter recently had to submit proof of his Mexican roots just to represent his country in an upcoming bout. That revelation naturally raises questions—who is this fighter, and what exactly happened?

The fighter in question is UFC middleweight contender Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez. The 32-year-old is set to face former 185-pound champion Sean Strickland at UFC Houston on February 26 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Although Hernandez will end up representing Mexico, the path to doing so was far from straightforward.

Sean Strickland responds to Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez

While appearing in an interview with Ariel Helwani recently, the 1st generation US born fighter explained his ordeal in securing the opportunity to represent his country in the cage. “They almost didn’t let me walk out to represent Mexico anymore, because I had to show proof of residency. I’m on a f—king 8-fight win streak, there’s no special treatment here…,” Hernandez told Ariel Helwani. 

“I had to go jump through some hoops real quick and had to find my grandparents’ birth certificates and show that they’re from Mexico and that I can represent,” he added. When asked why he chose to represent Mexico instead of the United States, where he currently lives and grew up, Hernandez explained the deep significance the country holds in his life.

“I mean, my dad’s from there. My mom’s family is from there. That’s my heritage, you know what I mean? On my dad’s side, I’m technically first-generation because he was smuggled in. Then on mom’s side, I’m second generation,” Hernandez continued. Despite growing up in the States, he explained that his childhood was immersed in Mexican culture.

“I carry a lot of pride with that,” Hernandez told Helwani during the interview. “My grandpa had five boys, and then he smuggled four of them across the border to Texas, so my dad had two birthdays. I’d for sure want to go out there. I’ve had talks with my mom to figure out how to get a house out there. I would love to go out there and train at the P.I. and s—t.”

Sean Strickland later found the statements from Hernandez and responded to them in his unique way. He shared a mock-up poster for their fight, which showed Hernandez dressed in traditional Mexican attire, as he was in a cop uniform. Regardless, this isn’t the first time the UFC has made headlines because of its flag policy.

The time Dana White banned flags

Dana White’s decision to ban national flags in the UFC traces back to 2022, when the promotion quietly stopped allowing fighters to carry flags during broadcasts following the Russia-Ukraine war. At the time, the policy was intended to avoid political tension and controversy on a global stage, especially during live international events.

White later admitted the move wasn’t something he felt strongly about initially. “When the decision was made to do this, I was just like, ‘Eh, what’s the big deal if they don’t have flags?’” he explained. As the ban remained in place, however, White grew increasingly uncomfortable with the unintended consequences.

The breaking point came during Noche UFC, an event centered around Mexican Independence Day. “The no flag thing drove me crazy,” White said. “That’s enough of the no flags thing.” Reflecting on the situation, White summed up his stance bluntly. “Everybody’s too soft, everybody’s too sensitive… Basically, ‘I don’t give a f—k.’”

Still, before UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, the flags were banned again. However, it was not because of a change in UFC’s policy again. Instead, it was because of the rules and regulations of the host country imposed on the UFC, which override the promotion’s own policies. 

At the end of the day, Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez will be allowed to represent Mexico in his upcoming UFC fight. Still, the situation raises a fair question: was all this controversy really necessary for something so minor?