“I went to bed, didn’t think about it all the next day, then the day after, I woke up and it just hit me,” he said. “I was like, man, you’ve got to do this. This is an opportunity and a half and I dunno whether it’s manifestation or just a good narrative, but I like the part I’m playing, so I’m going to keep playing it.”
And he gets to play it in his hometown of San Antonio. It was always the dream gig, but with his fight against Hooper taking place less than a month before, he rightfully assumed it wasn’t going to happen. But then it did.
“Lo and behold, we get a real clean first round finish and I’m like, ‘oh s**t, there’s a chance I might fight on Noche,” said Hernandez. “And a part of me just wanted to rest on my laurels for a second and enjoy it. But man, it’s juicy. And again, you’ve got to strike with the iron’s hot because it isn’t going to sizzle for long, so you got to take advantage. And I feel like it’s a great opponent coming off a three-fight win streak. You can’t ask for a better matchup. And I’m healthy and well and I’m hungry. It’s a good opportunity, and I feel like I’m already winning. Like I said, whoever’s writing this script, I like the part I’m playing, I’m going to keep playing it, and it’s almost like we kind of lined up this narration. I’m just going to keep playing the character. So I don’t think we have anything to lose.”
