Alexander Hernandez has broken his silence on the fallout from his canceled UFC 324 bout with Michael Johnson, calling the aftermath of the betting investigation a tense and uncertain stretch.
The lightweight’s fight in Las Vegas was scrapped after the UFC’s betting integrity service partner flagged unusual odds movement, leading the promotion to pull the matchup on the day of the event. Hernandez later described the experience simply as, "That was a headache-and-a-half, dude," and added, "That was a stressful five weeks, and it's good to be on the right side of it now, and I pray no f*ckery takes place this week."
Hernandez said he is "not talking to any authorities" and noted he has received no formal statement clearing his name beyond being rebooked by the UFC. "I don't think the FBI comes out and issues any apologies, so it's hard for me to speculate on where things are at," he said. "But I'm in the grace of the UFC, and we're fighting. I have no fears or qualms with any bureau. ... This is uncharted territory because it's the first time someone has been falsely accused of fixing a fight or something like that, so it's new waters for everyone to figure out how to tread."
Johnson was booked six weeks later against a new opponent at UFC 326, while Hernandez is now scheduled to face Rafa Garcia in a lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 274 from Meta APEX. Looking ahead, Hernandez also called for better safeguards for fighters in betting investigations, saying, "I think there needs to be some kind of a protection over the combatants themselves."
