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‘Hyper-aware’ Hernandez delighted to pass tricky Trinaldo test at UFC on ESPN 4

SAN ANTONIO – Local boy done good Alexander Hernandez was full of energy before and during his UFC on ESPN 4 bout with Francisco Trinaldo. And that energy was still there for all to see as he talked to reporters backstage after his split-decision win over Francisco Trinaldo.

Hernandez (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) was clearly energized by the occasion as he fought in his hometown in front of friends and family at AT&T Center, where he produced the most composed performance of his young UFC career to score an important victory.

“It’s the most electrifying moment of my life,” Hernandez said. “I’m so used to walking into enemy territory. We’ve got such a boisterous bunch of dogs out there; we were going crazy. I had my boys hoist me up afterwards. The whole experience was surreal.”

Usually Hernandez piles forward and imposes his will on his opponents, but against the teak-tough Trinaldo (23-7 MMA, 13-6 UFC) he knew he had to be more considered in his approach. And despite the added excitement level of competing on home soil, he executed exactly as he planned to secure the win.

“That was almost a complete contradiction of my prior style,” Hernandez said. “I went out there and above all adhered to a plan. It was the most physically and mentally composed I’ve ever felt in there, listening to everything, I was hyper-aware, and I could hear all the voices.

“Fighting a guy like Trinaldo, who is entirely a counter-striker … I had to draw him out and just pick my exchanges, pick my shots and win the little battles that would compile over the course. It was a huge growth marker in my career as a fighter.”

After three rounds of cat-and-mouse action, the bout went to the scorecards with the Texan unsure of which end of the result he would find himself.

“I’m my own biggest critic, so if I don’t have an overwhelming blowout, I’m pretty difficult on myself. So I’m probably the worst person to ask,” Hernandez said. “When they were announcing (the result), I couldn’t hear them very well, and I thought I could hear his ring name – ‘Massaranduba,’ that’s what I heard coming out, and that’s why I kinda had that lack of energy and a negative demeanor. Somehow it rounded from an M to ‘The Great’ and I was like, ‘Man, baby! We’re back! Let’s go!’

“I’m so critical, so I’ll have to run back and look at the tape. I know I was winning exchanges. I was hoping that the judges weren’t counting little things that weren’t making contact with my face or brushing my shoulders, and I was hitting to the body, so I was hoping they were seeing the shots that were landing and (not the ones) that weren’t. I’m happy with it.”

Having passed his tricky Trinaldo test, Hernandez says he has just one aim: to keep moving up the lightweight ladder and testing himself against an increasingly difficult lineup of opponents.

“Always up, baby. Always up. Up the totem pole,” Hernandez said. “I don’t care about size, shape or style. I don’t care about any name, it’s just my name. It’s always me vs. me in there, featuring whomever. So just get me on that totem pole, and I’ll keep climbing.”

For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN 4, check out the UFC Results.

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