Alexander Hernandez unsure of Islam Makhachev's UFC 249 status: 'We're kind of in the dark'
Alexander Hernandez recognizes there’s a high likelihood he won’t fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 249.
The two lightweight contenders are currently booked for the UFC’s pay-per-view event April 18. However, Makhachev (17-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is currently in Russia. Like his training partner, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev will likely be unable to leave the country due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions.
This puts him in an unusual position. According to Hernandez (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), there haven’t been many updates from the promotion regarding the event. He’s preparing for a fight, which doesn’t have a location – and likely doesn’t have an opponent for him to fight.
“We’re all in the dark,” Hernandez told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “It’s just like everything else. When we hear the official word, we all hear the official word. (Expletive), half the time I wait for a tag on Instagram to know something is locked in. Obviously with Khabib being stuck in Russia, I imagine Islam is on the same plane out there.
“The circumstances of my opponent are a little hazy at this point. Everything has been hazy. They are keeping all of the information close to their chest because I’m certain they don’t want to be making any more false announcements. It’s just been kind of a fog. I’ll just keep following this UFC yellow brick road through all the scary (expletive) on the sides. I just hope there’s an arena and a pot of gold at the end. We’re kind of in the dark.”
Despite the disarray the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, Herandez thinks he’s in the best mental state of his entire UFC tenure. Hernandez said the obstacles in his training camp have caused him to make adjustments, but the process is still on track.
“Food resources were getting difficult,” Hernandez said. “The produce isle was still open, but just getting in and out of there was an (expletive). The gym hours being what they were. The city got shut down a little over a week ago. Everything was closing in. It just looked a little bleak. I was like, ‘Man, this (expletive) does suck.’ We turned that (expletive) around real quick.
“I’ve got a great team of people. … We boarded up the windows. I’ve got butcher tape all over my walls so it looks like we’ve got a meth lab cooking in the back. We’ve just been going in there, running operations all the same.”
If Makhachev is indeed unable to make it to UFC 249, Hernandez hopes the promotion gives him Diego Ferreira or Drew Dober, who are scheduled to square off May 2 at UFC on ESPN+ 32.
“I’ve stayed focused on Islam, but I was perusing the matches,” Hernandez said. “I saw (Diego) Ferreira and (Drew) Dober were matched up in May. I imagine both of those guys have been training and might be prepared to step up. I’m also thinking about them.”
In the end, though, Hernandez said it could be Makhachev, Ferreira, or Dober. They’re all the same to him.
“It’s always me vs. me featuring whoever,” Hernandez said. “I don’t give a damn who they put across from me in two-and-a-half weeks. I’ve overcome myself.”
Check out MMA Junkie’s full UFC 249 pre-fight interview with Alexander Hernandez in the video above.