Gallery Donald Cerrone def. Alexander Hernandez at UFC on ESPN+ 1: Best photos view 10 images

Alexander Hernandez had plenty to say toward Donald Cerrone ahead of their fight a week ago.

Then Cerrone (35-11 MMA, 22-8 UFC) spent much of their lightweight fight at UFC on ESPN+ 1 putting it on Hernandez (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC). The result was a second-round TKO that left Hernandez a bloody mess – and had him questioning his approach in the immediate aftermath.

UFC on ESPN+ 1 took place Jan. 19 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The main card streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN, including Cerrone-Hernandez in the featured spot on the cable network, and ESPN+.

But Hernandez on Friday said if anyone’s expecting his confidence to taper off following the setback, they should think again. And if they think he’ll be any less confident the next time he steps in the cage, they’ve got another thing coming for that, too.

“That fight taught me, it feels like everything, but it’s sure as (expletive) not to doubt myself,” Hernandez told MMAjunkie Radio (his interview starts around the 1:01 mark in the video above). “I’m not going to go in there any less confident. I went there 100 percent certain I was going to win that (expletive) fight. I’ll believe that in the next fight, too. I’m not going to go in there any less certain of myself, especially against this legend of the sport. I’m not going to stroke his ego or play into the ‘Cowboy’ fan. I’m not there to stroke his ego. I’m in there to (expletive) end this man. That’s really how I think. The idea of changing any of that – no, absolutely not. It’s not just to hear myself talk.

“No matter who is standing across from me, (he) is going to get a verbal onslaught. And that’s just me being me because I believe what I’m capable of.”

Hernandez won his UFC debut on short notice at UFC 222 in March 2018. He needed just 42 seconds to stun Beneil Dariush with a knockout. That win gave him a $50,000 bonus and a seventh consecutive time getting his hand raised.

His next time out, he outworked Olivier Aubin-Mercier. But the fight against Cerrone was a high-profile one not just because of the opponent – “Cowboy” is the winningest fighter in UFC history and has the most bouts in company history – but because of its placement on ESPN in the UFC’s debut with the cable network in its new broadcast deal.

So Hernandez talked the talk going in, then got humbled a bit in the loss.

“I’m not just pulling (expletive) out of my ass,” Hernandez said. “Everything I say, I believe to the fullest. I was 100,000 percent sure I was going to rout his ass. I’m still baffled. I’ve dealt with it, but I believe to the deepest spot in my core that I was going to go out there and demolish Cerrone in that fight. I’ve watched the fight seven times since, and I watch it and I see where experience overcame my tenacity. I went in there sure I was going to kill him.”

Hernandez said he’s got his eye on a summer return, and doesn’t care who he gets in the cage with next in order to start climbing his way back into relevance in the lightweight division.

But he knows one thing, and that’s that he plans on fixing his approach before the next one.

“I am trying to get a fight in summertime,” he said. “Summertime is what I’m projecting. I obviously don’t want to get touched in the face for a couple months to let that completely heal up. Then I need to go in and rewire some (expletive). I’m not going to be shy about it – I need to rewire. That’s all I’m thinking. Whoever. I just want to keep climbing back to the top.”

For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 1, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts live Monday-Friday at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.