Luis Hernandez just made his UFC debut, and a veteran is already calling him out.
Hernandez is coming off of two submission wins in 11 days — including a bonus-winning, 57-second stoppage of Sedriques Dumas at UFC Vegas 121 this past Saturday. After earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series less than two weeks prior, “The Stache” took the fight with Dumas on just two days’ notice, where he had his breakout performance.
Earlier this week, Chris Curtis — who has a bit of history with Hernandez following a viral moment at Tuff-N-Uff 145 in June 2025 where Curtis and Sean Strickland stormed the cage after Hernandez’s win over Miles Hunsinger — released a video calling out Hernandez. Not only that, Curtis said when they do meet, he will “fold this man up like a cheap suitcase.”
Hernandez responded in kind just days after his successful debut.
“Definitely, I do have a response to him,” Hernandez told MMA Fighting. “He’s trying to get off my clout. No offense to him, he’s 39 years old; he’s about to be retired. In my mind, he is retired. He’s 6-5-1 in the UFC, right? Never done anything with his career. I’ll give it at that. He is a good fighter; he does have experience, but it just shows you the type of caliber fighter I am that I win a contract, and he’s calling me out already. Guy has like 40-something fights, and he’s calling out a guy that’s 8-0
“Listen, he wants to fold me like a chair. I’m going to retire him and send him to an old person’s home if he keeps messing around with me. His name, when the name comes across, I’m going to get my fights in, get my record up. When his name comes across, I’m going to retire that man. I’m going to be the final nail that goes into that coffin, and Chris Curtis is going to get retired. Listen, I’m very respectful, but you’re crossing the line saying you’re going to fold me. I’m going to send you to an old home is what I’m going to do.”
The 30-year-old Hernandez is not only a UFC fighter, he’s also a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputy, and the irony of him facing Dumas — who has had his troubles with the law — was not lost on MMA fans. Hernandez took the time during his post-victory speech to put over Dumas and sent hope that Dumas can start making smart decisions to stay out of trouble.
As far as Curtis goes, Hernandez thought cooler heads prevailed following the Tuff-N-Uff incident with him and Strickland. The 9-0 pro was asked if he was surprised by Curtis’ callout and words about him.
“I expected it,” Hernandez said. “But what’s kind of funny is the moment that happened in Tuff-N-Uff, when I shoved him off, he didn’t throw a punch. He didn’t. He said, ‘Don’t do that, don’t do that.‘ He didn’t say anything then; now he has a grudge. He’s just trying to get notoriety off what I am. I’m, no offense, I’m already bigger than him.
“I’m looking forward. I look past him, you know? When the name does come, if it does come in the future after my matchups, I’m definitely going to take it. I’m going to get paid, and I’m going to flatline him.”
While Strickland was the fighter throwing punches during the incident, Hernandez says he’s cool with the UFC middleweight champion and hopes they can get on the shooting range together in the near future.
“So, actually, somebody had spoken to him and then, as well, I spoke to his coach,” Hernandez said of Strickland. “I said I have no hard feelings towards him or his team or anybody else that wants to fight me. I appreciate that we were both men, and we know this is a business and there’s entertainment. I actually, I said it: either I go shoot over there, [or] come bring him here to Miami, and we’ll have fun, go shoot, and have a good time.
“We talked [on] DMs, and we were planning on going shooting in the next time in Vegas and get some training in together.”
