UFC Books Cop vs Convicted Felon to Save Vegas 121 Card
Miami-Dade deputy Luis Hernandez replaces Mickey Gall against Sedriques Dumas on short notice.
The UFC went ahead and booked a cop against a convicted felon for this weekend's Vegas 121 card, and the internet is having a field day with it.
Mickey Gall was pulled from his light heavyweight bout against Sedriques Dumas due to a medical issue. Stepping in on short notice is Luis Hernandez, a 30-year-old Miami-Dade Sheriff's deputy who is 8-0 in his professional MMA career with all eight wins coming by finish. Hernandez earned his UFC shot with a victory on Dana White's Contender Series earlier this month.
Dumas, 31, carries a 10-5 record with one no-contest and is coming off a submission loss to Jackson McVey at UFC Vegas 116. He also happens to be a convicted felon, a detail that has not gone unnoticed on social media.
Fans immediately accused the UFC matchmakers of intentionally pairing fighters based on their backgrounds, though the more likely explanation is that Hernandez was simply the only available fighter willing to step in on short notice. The fight will take place at light heavyweight.
UFC Vegas 121 goes down this Saturday at the APEX in Las Vegas, headlined by Raul Rosas Jr. against Raoni Barcelos. The card lost some depth with Gall's withdrawal, but gained one of the more interesting narratives of the year.
I've seen some wild matchups living in Vegas, but a literal police officer fighting a convicted felon inside the APEX is a new one. The UFC matchmakers swear this is just a short-notice fill-in, and honestly, it probably is. When you need a body on fight week, you take whoever picks up the phone.
But let's not pretend the promotion doesn't know exactly what it's doing with the optics. This is the kind of storyline that writes itself, and it'll generate more clicks than half the main card. Hernandez is legit, by the way. Eight fights, eight finishes. The Contender Series win was clean. Whether he's ready for the UFC full-time is a different question, but the kid can clearly crack.
As for Dumas, he needs a win badly after getting submitted last time out. Losing to a rookie cop on short notice would be a rough look.
