The Daniel Cormier Show - DC REACTS to Sean Strickland's CRAZY TKO win vs. Anthony Hernandez, Khamzat Chimaev next

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Daniel Cormier Show – DC Reacts to Sean Strickland’s TKO Win vs. Anthony Hernandez, Khamzat Chimaev Next

Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Episode: The Daniel Cormier Show – DC REACTS to Sean Strickland's CRAZY TKO win vs. Anthony Hernandez, Khamzat Chimaev next
Date: February 22, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Daniel Cormier (DC) delivers an impassioned, detailed breakdown of Sean Strickland’s electrifying TKO victory over Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez. DC dissects Strickland’s fight strategy and what this win means for his prospects, particularly a potential bout with Khamzat Chimaev. The episode is full of DC’s signature energy, technical insight, and stories from his own perspective as a fighter and coach.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Sean Strickland: Unpredictable Personality, Consistent Performance

[04:25 – 06:07]

• DC opens with praise for Sean Strickland’s “dangerous” style both inside and outside the Octagon, highlighting his unpredictable, outspoken persona during fight weeks.
  • “...every single week, he ups the ante. Whenever the cameras are in his face and he just says more and more stuff.” (DC, 04:35)

Tactical Analysis: Breaking Down the TKO

[05:01 – 08:30]

• Anthony Hernandez came in on an eight-fight win streak noted for his pace, pressure, toughness, and durability.
• DC describes the opening round as competitive, with Strickland establishing his jab.
  • “Strickland’s landing the beautiful jab from the outside... When he fought Israel Adesanya... that jab was popping all night long.” (DC, 05:35)
• The pivotal sequence: DC draws attention to Strickland’s use of knees, especially to the body when facing an opponent with a strong chin.
  • “When a guy has a great chin, ... you go to the body. ... Sean hit him with a knee. And for the first time in years, I saw Anthony Hernandez retreat because he was hurt.” (DC, 06:44)
• Indicates Hernandez's toughness:
  • “He’s normally so good at just eating punches, eating kicks, you don’t know when you hurt him. But it was very evident today that Strickland had him hurt.” (DC, 07:09)

What Makes Strickland Special

[08:31 – 09:35]

• DC highlights how Strickland continues to defy expectations—both as a talker and as a fighter.
• He praises the finishing instinct, acknowledging Strickland’s ability not just to hurt but to stop a fighter as durable as Hernandez.

The Post-Fight Callout and Chimaev Drama

[09:36 – 10:20]

• Post-fight, Strickland called out Khamzat Chimaev, igniting anticipation.
• DC addresses the potential matchup, questioning Strickland’s ability to withstand Chimaev’s wrestling:
  • “Can Sean defend Khamzat to the point that he doesn’t get written out and just taken down the control for 25 minutes? I don’t know that. ... But I tell you one thing … if that guy that showed up tonight shows up in that fight, it will be much more difficult." (DC, 10:00)
• Notes Strickland’s performance was at the level of his best against Israel Adesanya, suggesting he could be a real threat if locked in.

Cormier on Strickland’s Mics & Media Presence

[10:21 – 11:30]

• Observes the division-wide buzz around Strickland, not just for his fighting but also his unfiltered personality.
• DC mentions rumors about UFC cutting Strickland’s post-fight mic due to his unpredictability—underscoring his appeal and controversy.
  • “I’m watching videos constantly where it’s telling me that the UFC cut Sean Strickland’s mic... He’s the type of guy that will never hold his tongue.” (DC, 10:54)
  • Recalls Dana White’s stance: “The reason Sean says dumb shit is because you guys ask him dumb shit.” (DC, 11:13)

Technical Dominance: Strickland’s Performance by Numbers

[11:31 – 11:46]

• “He landed 110 significant strikes and only gave away 55 and didn’t surrender one takedown to Anthony Fluffy Hernandez.” (DC, 11:40)
• This statistical dominance is highlighted as proof that Strickland is still elite.

Other Standout Performances

[11:47 – 12:47]

• DC gives his “Total Wireless Performance of the Night” to Euros Medic for a stunning knockout of Jeff Neal.
  • “For medic to put him out with one punch like that was crazy. I feel for Jeff because now he’s going to get memed. Snot came out of his nose when he hit the ground.” (DC, 11:59)
• Shoutout to Jacoby Smith for a first-round TKO win in his main card debut, noting improved cardio and skill.

Houston as a Fight City and DC’s Personal Angle

[12:48 – 13:20]

• DC laments missing the chance to be in Houston, calling it “one of the best fight venues in the entire world.”
• Describes watching the fights from a wrestling tournament:
  • “We brought a tv, set it on a table and we’re watching all of the fights tonight. It was sick and those fights are really good guys.” (DC, 13:04)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Strickland’s crazy fight week persona:
  “Surprised during a Sean Strickland fight week because it seems like he could never go any crazier than I had seen him before. But every single week, he ups the ante.” (DC, 04:32)

• On tactical body work:
  “If they’re good and they’ve got a great chin, it’s the knees, it’s the kicks to the body that will ultimately slow those guys down.” (DC, 06:56)

• On the Strickland–Chimaev drama:
  “I love that. Now, can Sean defend Khamzat to the point that he doesn’t get written out?... But I tell you one thing that I do know is that if that guy that showed up tonight shows up in that fight, it will be much more difficult.” (DC, 10:00)

• On UFC possibly cutting Strickland’s mic:
  “He’s the type of guy that will never hold his tongue… I gotta go watch it because I gotta see what he was saying when he deserved to get that microphone cut off. That’s crazy.” (DC, 11:05)

• On Euros Medic’s KO:
  “For medic to put him out with one punch like that was crazy. I feel for Jeff because now he’s going to get memed. Snot came out of his nose when he hit the ground.” (DC, 11:59)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Strickland’s Fight Week Antics / Lead-up: 04:25–05:38
• Technical Analysis of Fight: 05:39–08:30
• Body Shots as Key to Victory: 06:44–07:14
• Strickland’s Post-Fight Callout & Chimaev Discussion: 09:36–10:20
• Mic Cutting & Strickland’s Persona: 10:54–11:30
• Performance Stats: 11:31–11:46
• Euros Medic KO Recap: 11:47–12:20
• Houston Fight Scene: 12:48–13:20

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Episode Conclusion & Tone

Delivering his trademark mix of fight breakdown, locker-room humor, and personal anecdotes, DC celebrates Strickland’s resurgence and the excitement he brings to the middleweight division. He punctuates technical insights with candid commentary, both on Strickland’s fighting IQ and his antics.

“What a night. From Houston, Texas. This is one of the best fight venues in the entire world. I’m just sad I didn’t get to go this time down to H town, but it looked like it was amazing.” (DC, 12:48)

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Bottom Line:
This episode is a must-listen for fight fans seeking a ringside-level breakdown—not just of how Strickland won, but why he’s become one of the most compelling figures in MMA today. The show blends tactical analysis, fight psychology, and a preview of a potentially massive showdown with Khamzat Chimaev, all in DC’s unmistakable, unfiltered style.

Transcript

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All right, guys. Hey. It was a long day at a wrestling tournament, but I definitely want to come and talk to you guys about Sean Strickland doing what he did to Fluffy Hernandez. That fight card was insane. Today's video is brought to you by Total Wireless, the official wireless provider of UFC. They're in your corner with unlimited 5G data. That will not slow you down. That is a total power move. And Sean Strickland showed today that he's dangerous. Hey, I'm always. I'm always. I'm always surprised, right? Surprised during a Sean Strickland fight week because it seems like he could never go any crazier than I had seen him before. But every single week, he ups the ante. Whenever the cameras are in his face and he just says more and more stuff. And this week was just like that, right? Sean Strickland was going off, and you kind of wondered if he was kind of doing more because maybe things are bothering him. But nope, Sean Strickland was Sean Strickland, because that was. Sean Strickland is. You get to this fight tonight, and he's fighting the guy named Anthony Hernandez, who has won eight fights in a row, who has melted people with his pace, pressure, his toughness and his durability, and you wonder whether or not Strickland is going to be able to handle that pace and pressure. The fight starts right. Fluffy's going forward, moving into him. First round is very competitive. Strickland's landing the beautiful jab from the outside. And if we know anything right when Sean Strickland is at his best, he can fight behind the jab. When he fought Israel Adesanya, which to date is his greatest performance in his career, that jab was popping all night long. And tonight it felt like that was the same thing that was happening to Anthony Hernandez. Hernandez couldn't really figure out the jab of Sean Strickland. And because he couldn't figure out the jab, Strickland was able to dictate and control the fight a little bit. Second round, he landed a beautiful shot that hurt. Fluffy swarmed him and got the finish. Now, why is that important, Fluffy? Hernandez is universally praised for his wrestling, his cardio, his boxing, his toughness and his chin. When a guy has a great chin, and we have seen many, many over the history of the game, you can't put them down, you can't knock them out, you can't hurt them with punches to the head. What do you do? You go to the body. Because Anthony Hernandez pressures so much, he puts himself in the range for knees, especially if you have the ability to knee going backwards, or knee whenever a guy's pressing into you, that's exactly what Sean did. Sean hit him with a knee. And for the first time in years, I saw Anthony Hernandez retreat because he was hurt. It was the first time I saw him even react to a strike in the middle of the fight. He's normally so good at just eating punches, eating kicks, you don't know when you hurt him. But it was very evident today that Strickland had him hurt. And Strickland not only hurt him, he went and he got the finish that was so big. But when you have these unbelievably tough guys, fighters watching, do that, do that. Yes, you do want to hit them with punches to the head. I know that the target seems like the head, let's get it done. But if they're good and they've got a great chin, it's the knees, it's the kicks to the body that will ultimately slow those guys down. It's the kicks to the body. And Sean Strickland did that when he landed that knee. It wasn't the first knee he landed in the fight. It just was the most damaging and the most telling knee that he landed in that fight. He hurt him really, really bad with it and he ultimately got the finish. You know, then you give Sean Strickland microphone. Look, if Sean Strickland is unhinged on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, sorry, the fight ended in the third round, but in the second round, I believe you heard him. If Sean Strickland is a bit unhinged early in the week of a fight, when you are done fighting, you are so filled with energy, emotion, adrenaline, Lord knows what he's going to say. He calls out Khamzat Chimaev, he starts talking. Look, those guys have got a really big beef between the two of them right now because I just saw a video recently about Khamzat Chimaev talking about him and Sean Smart a lot. That's why Sean wants to talk and fight, because I think he knows. He says Sean talks because he knows that he got the better of him. Strickland saying, I want the fight. I love that. Now, can Sean defend Khamzat to the point that he doesn't get written out and just taken down the control for 25 minutes? I don't know that. I don't know that. But I tell you one thing that I do know is that if that guy that showed up tonight shows up in that fight, it will be much more difficult. A fight for the great Khamzat Chimaev. Why? Because even Israel Adesanya at the peak of his power, struggled with that version of Sean Strickland. The Drekkers du Plessis fight, it didn't seem like Sean was locked all the way in. He seemed a little messed up and it showed. It showed his body language, his posture, his lack of confidence. It showed in his coach getting frustrated. There were a number of reasons why he just didn't look the same. But tonight he looked the same. He looked like the guy that became the world champion. And if you tell me he would have won that fight, just normal a decision, he would have did that post fight interview, everybody would have laughed. At him. I'm watching videos constantly where it's telling me that the UFC cut Sean Strickland's mic. There is post fight pressure. He is, he is, he is. He's the type of guy that will never hold his tongue. I saw so many pundits from not even in MMA speaking of Sean Strickland this week because of the things that he said and he did. So after the fight, dude is ready to go off. They're saying they cut his mics. I need to watch and listen for sure. I don't know that the UFC does that, though. I don't know that they do that. Because even Dana said the reason Sean says dumb shit is because you guys ask him dumb shit. You asked Sean Strickland about Bad Bunny. What do you think is going to happen? Sean Strickland doesn't. Doesn't. Sean Strickland doesn't. He doesn't hold back. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't like Bad Bunny in the Super Bowl. He's gonna give you a crazy deal. And Louise said they did cut his microphone, so I gotta go watch it because I gotta see what he was saying when he deserved to get that microphone cut off. That's crazy. He's. He's valuable again in this weight class, though it was because of his performance in two rounds and a little bit more, he landed 110 significant strikes and only gave away 55 and didn't surrender one takedown to Anthony Fluffy Hernandez. And honestly, the reason Fluffy's been so good is because he's been able to get those takedowns over the course of those fights. Guys, my total wireless performance of the night goes to Euros Medic for that knockout of Jeff Neal. Yo, Jeff Neal is so good. He's such a tremendous boxer. For medic to put him out with one punch like that was crazy. I feel for Jeff because now he's going to get memed. Snot came out of his nose when he hit the ground. Your body is. You don't control your body whenever you get knocked out like that. So I feel bad that he's going to have to go through that. But look at Euros medic. The doctor really starting to get some headway in his division. Also, hats off to my boy Jacoby Smith for a fantastic performance tonight with his first main card fight. First round TKO showed improvements, showed his cardio is getting better. He did a lot of great things tonight. I'm very proud of Jacoby Smith. What a night. From Houston, Texas. This is one of the best fight venues in the entire world. I'm just sad I didn't get to go this time down to H town, but it looked like it was amazing. I'm at a wrestling tournament, guys. We brought a tv, set it on a table and we're watching all of the fights tonight. It was sick and those fights are really good guys. Until next time, like subscribe and tell your friends. I got a YouTube channel and I'm doing things like this. Until next time again, peace.

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