To say Alexander Hernandez is excited to headline the preliminary card of the UFC’s first ESPN fight card against Donald Cerrone would be an understatement.

Hernandez (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) originally was scheduled to face Francisco Trinaldo at the canceled UFC 233 event on Jan. 26 in California. He was then shifted to the Jan. 19 fight card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., for the matchup with perennial contender Cerrone (34-11 MMA, 21-8 UFC), who’s returning to lightweight for the first time in three years.

Cerrone recently got back to the win column with a first-round submission of slugger Mike Perry at UFC Fight Night 139 in November. Seeking another shot in the division where he’s already fallen just short of the title, he pushed the UFC to let him return to 155 pounds.

Hernandez, 26, will happily welcome Cerrone back to the division where he’s done his most notable work.

“There’s just forces on my side that are bigger than me,” Hernandez told MMAjunkie Radio. “I keep saying that (expletive). I’m just a vessel filling in, but I couldn’t be more excited to put an emphatic stamp on ESPN for the UFC and MMA and just completely merking Cerrone. Dude, this is (expletive) huge.”

Gallery Photos: Best of Alexander Hernandez view 18 images

A pair of strong showings in fights against Beneil Dariush and Olivier Aubin-Mercier to begin his UFC career have put Hernandez on the path to bigger things. But he admits he’s a little surprised the promotion selected him to face Cerrone, the company’s all-time wins leader, in what will be the featured bout on the ESPN-televised preliminary card of UFC on ESPN+ 1, which airs prior to the main card on ESPN+.

“Yeah, why the (expletive) me?” Hernandez wondered. “I don’t know. But I’ll take it to the bank.

“The UFC is laying down Persian silk linen and spreading its legs for me right now. They are letting loose all the pheromones, and I am in it. I’m definitely taking full advantage of that.”

If Hernandez can defeat “Cowboy” in an impressive fashion on the platform he’s been presented, he would immediately become a more recognizable character to fans. A resident of San Antonio, Texas, home of the NBA’s Spurs, Hernandez has intentions of reaching MMA stardom, and he hopes to give his adopted home town another sports hero to cheer for.

“God bless them, but let’s turn our attention to what’s going to carry the city at this point, and humbly speaking, that’s going to be me,” Hernandez said.

For more on UFC on ESPN+ 1, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live 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.

Gallery Alexander Hernandez def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier at UFC on FOX 30: Best photos view 7 images