Rising UFC lightweight contender Alex Hernandez was brimming with confidence ahead of his Saturday night showdown with MMA legend Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Unfortunately for the rising lightweight and his fans, this fight didn’t go the way he planned, as he was out-struck and ultimately stopped by his amply more experienced adversary.
Despite the pre-fight trash talk that Alex Hernandez unleashed ahead of this fight, he’s been nothing but classy in defeat, even thanking Cowboy for the learning experience.
Hernandez issued a quick statement on this setback on Twitter post-fight. Here’s what he had to say.
“Congratulations [Donald Cerrone],” Alex Hernandez wrote. “You taught me something invaluable in defeat. Perhaps the best/worst thing that ever happened to me was a 42 second knockout debut. I go into every fight feeling untouchable and expecting a repeat of the same occurrence.
“I prepare myself in the moments prior for an execution in the first round and not a fight,” he added in a second Tweet. “I need to learn to fight. I need to address my approach. I brought the fight to Cerrone and where he made adjustments, I did not. Experience is a costly bitch.
Thank you [UFC, Dana White, Sean Shelby] for an amazing opportunity and belief in me,” he concluded. “I will not let this go in vain. The triumph of adversity is what makes a man and defines legends. I will be be back. And you will know I mean what I say next time you see me. This is good pain.”
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This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 1/20/2019.