A United States police officer, Luis “The Stache” Hernandez, defeated convicted felon Sedriques Dumas by submission in his UFC debut on Saturday, becoming the first active-duty law enforcement officer to compete in the promotion.
Hernandez, a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputy in Florida, secured the victory just 57 seconds into the opening round after catching Dumas in a standing guillotine chokehold.
The UFC had promoted the bout as a “cop vs convict” showdown.
The police officer accepted the fight on short notice after Dumas’ original opponent withdrew because of an injury.
Hernandez, who remains undefeated, said he was ready to take the opportunity when he received the call.
“Hey, the bosses called me, a day-and-a-half notice, I’m ready to go. I’m healthy right now,” Hernandez said after the fight.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office congratulated Hernandez on his victory in a post on Instagram.
Before the fight, Dumas posted an AI-generated video showing a uniformed police officer, intended to represent Hernandez, dancing alongside him while wearing an orange jail jumpsuit.
Following his victory, Hernandez urged people online to stop directing abuse at his opponent, saying Dumas had a family and should be treated with respect despite his past.
“I just want to say something,” Hernandez said. “All the hate online on my opponent, listen, the guy has a family, and whatever he did in the past, I’m hoping he changed his life, let’s treat him with respect.”
Sports talk radio host and MMA expert Brendan Tobin said the UFC’s promotion of the bout was designed to attract attention to the fight.
“You kinda expect a promotion like this, they’re trying to hook you in for a Saturday night fight night,” Tobin said.
Speaking before he knew Dumas would be his opponent, Hernandez said making history as a police officer in the UFC was particularly important to him.
“Being able to make history and be a role model, that’s the biggest thing to me,” Hernandez told NBC6 a few days ago, before he knew who his first opponent would be.
Tobin also praised Hernandez’s journey to the UFC and said Dumas had a felony background, including 14 arrests on various charges since 2014.
“They call me right now, ‘Hey Luis, you want to fight in Utah next weekend?’ I’m in,” Hernandez said on Tobin’s show last week.
Tobin explained that UFC newcomers often have to be prepared to accept opportunities at short notice.
“Usually, when you’re new in the UFC, you gotta be willing to jump at a moment’s notice to go in there and he’s doing it,” Tobin explained.
Dumas had been expected to face another fighter, but his scheduled opponent withdrew because of an injury, paving the way for Hernandez to make his UFC debut.
Tobin suggested that the unusual matchup could have added pressure for Hernandez, given that he was facing a convicted felon while working as a police officer.
“Yeah, and I’m sure that’s gotta put a little more pressure on him, you would think at the police station, this is one you can’t lose, don’t lose if you’re him,” Tobin said about facing a convicted felon.
Hernandez, however, said he was accustomed to accepting fights at short notice and believed preparation was key.
“I’ve had fights that are three days notice, I’ve had fights that are three weeks notice, for me, there’s a saying, if you stay ready, you don’t gotta get ready,” Hernandez said on Tobin’s show.
Hernandez remains undefeated following his first UFC appearance.
