From a Latino Neighborhood in Chicago to the UFC: The Story of Carlos Hernandez

When Carlos Hernandez first started learning martial arts, he hated it. It took convincing from his coach and parents for him to continue, but the insistence paid off: Hernandez is now a UFC fighter and has recently renewed his contract with the organization.

"After my second year I started to get the hang of things and started enjoying the classes. Around that time, I still played soccer, but I was starting to pull away from it and move more toward the martial arts scene," said Hernandez in an interview with The Latin Times.

Hernandez grew up in the Chicago suburb of Cicero, a town of 80,000 residents of which 87.7% identify as Hispanic and first got involved in MMA at the age of eight when he joined Combat-Do.

Headed by Master Bob Schirmer C., Combat-Do is a martial arts school based in Cicero with a big pedigree. In 2015 the school gained recognition from the MMA community when three students secured medals during the World MMA Championship. Combat-Do has turned other fighters into pros, including Pearl Gonzalez, a well-known female MMA fighter in the UFC and Invicta Fighting Championship.

During his time at Combat-Do, Hernandez said he wasn't allowed to spar with other fighters in practice matches due to ISCF regulations that limit fighters from practice fights before the age of 18. Instead, he practiced different fighting styles and began dreaming of making it big in the sport one day.

Hernandez is part of an elite group of Latino athletes who have dominated sports like boxing and MMA. Combat sports have gained popularity in Latin American countries and are extremely popular in Brazil. According to Statista, Latinos are among the interested in combat sports. Their data suggests that 27% of all Latinos are casual fans of combat sports, and 23% are avid viewers of the sport.

Hernandez got his big break in October 2021 after participating in the Dana White Contender Series, an MMA competition where amateur fighters compete in front of the UFC president and fight promoters. If a fighter wins and impresses White and the promoters, they are offered a contract on the spot.

Hernandez said he found out he would be involved in the Contender Series in early 2021, so for the ten months leading up to the fight he worked in the gym and didn't take on any amateur fights to avoid getting injured.

"That's the fight where I felt the most pressure," said Hernandez. "Not only do you have to win, but you have to make it impressive; impressive enough for the boss to say — 'okay, we need this guy.'" That's exactly what he did.

After securing his first UFC contract, Hernandez's first fight took place in February 2022, when he faced Victor Altamirano. After completing three rounds in an evenly matched fight, Hernandez took the win in a 2-1 split decision call.

He fought again in January of this year and later in June. Hernandez's UFC record stands at two wins and one loss, with another matchup coming up in early December, when he is set to fight Japanese flyweight star Tatsuro Taira.

Despite having risen to the top of the sport, Hernandez says that his life hasn't changed much since signing with the UFC, besides having to train harder.

"People who knew me since I was a kid knew this was part of the dream, but it didn't really hit me for a while. It wasn't until a year after that I realized that I was actually here fighting with the best in the world and on ESPN," said Hernandez.

Hernandez now trains with Valle Flow Striking Academy in Bensenville, Illinois. And having secured a new contract with the UFC, he is solely focused on preparing for his upcoming fight.

"The goal is always to be the best. I think that's what led me to be in the position I'm in and to let me get a new contract, to stay there [UFC], keep fighting there and hopefully retire there," concluded Hernandez.