‘I’m gonna retire him and send him to an old person’s home’: Luis Hernandez responds to UFC veteran’s callout

Luis Hernandez wasted no time firing back at UFC veteran Chris Curtis after a callout threat, promising to "retire" and "send him to an old person's home" if they ever meet in the octagon. The exchange erupted just days after Hernandez's breakthrough UFC debut performance—a stunning 57-second submission of Sedriques Dumas at UFC Vegas 121, which earned him a performance bonus. The 30-year-old had signed his UFC contract on the Contender Series less than two weeks prior.

Curtis, the 39-year-old middleweight with a 6-5-1 UFC record, released a video calling out Hernandez and boasting he would "fold this man up like a cheap suitcase." Hernandez, an undefeated 8-0 prospect and Miami-Dade Sheriff's deputy, didn't back down. "He's trying to get off my clout," Hernandez told MMA Fighting. "No offense to him, he's 39 years old; he's about to be retired. In my mind, he is retired." Hernandez accused Curtis of chasing notoriety on the back of his rising stardom, pointing out Curtis has fought 40-plus times with little career achievement, while Hernandez is just starting his UFC journey.

The tension traces back to an incident at Tuff-N-Uff 145 in June 2025, when Curtis and UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland stormed the cage after Hernandez's win over Miles Hunsinger. Hernandez recalled Curtis backing down when confronted. Despite the drama with Curtis, Hernandez said he holds no grudge against Strickland and has been planning to meet the champion for shooting range sessions. "We talked on DMs, and we were planning on going shooting in Vegas and get some training in together," Hernandez revealed.