Alexander Hernandez shares bold prediction for fight with Chris Gruetzemacher

Alexander Hernandez believes fans will see version 2.0 of him on Halloween night against Chris Gruetzemacher.

Hernandez is coming off a TKO loss to Drew Dober in May and following the loss changed camps and found a new home at Factory X under Marc Montoya. For Hernandez, he believes the change in camp will make him a new and better fighter.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”668024″ player=”20625″ title=”Just%20Scrap%20Radio%20Ep.%2016%20(w%20Hernandez%20Greene%20Krause%20&%20Katona)” duration=”4026″ description=”In the 16th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com, host Cole Shelton is joined by Alexander Hernandez, Maurice Greene, James Krause and Brad Katona.” uploaddate=”2020-10-27 02:10:41″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/15717/thumb/668024_t_1603765107.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/15717/sd/668024.mp4″]

“Marc Montoya, man. I stayed at some different gyms and I got along with everyone. But, I stayed at his house and was with him 24/7 and we got along and he took me under his wing,” Hernandez said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “He showed me some new details that were costing me major fractions of the fight. The team that he has is f*****g outstanding.”

Against Gruetzemacher, Hernandez is more than confident in his skill set to win the fight. However, he knows he has to be patient and can’t be lulled into a false sense of security as that is what Gruetzemacher does to most of his opponents.

“I know what he is about. He is a tank, he is a durable son of a bitch. I know I’ve got everything in the bag to f**k this dude up. Anybody can say this, but I’ve only defeated myself,” Hernandez explained. “Any loss I’ve taken, I’ve never sat back and said I got outclassed. I’m just drowning myself in a shallow pond and that is why I lost these fights. Just faking a win until I finally lost.

“Fighting this guy, I feel like, I will just go to work, but not overwork. That is what Joe Lauzon did, he overworked. They get excited because he is hittable but he is tough as fuck, he is super tough,” he continued. “If you think you are going to take him out, he is probably going to thrive on that and will f**k you up in the later rounds. So, for me, it’s about keeping my composure, not blowing my load as I had in the past. That is going be the biggest test for me, just finding that efficiency.”

Alexander Hernandez knows the pressure is on him to win this fight. He is getting someone not ranked for the first time in his career, and for “The Great” he says it was the right step back as he started to understand the business side of the UFC and the rise he was on didn’t make sense.

“What I came to find was as I entered the rankings I was on such a crash course to the top. I wanted some McGregor-Esque rise but I was already behind on that,” Alexander Hernandez explained. “I just wanted to have this hurdle to the top as quickly as possible and along the way, I was realizing I was getting offered to fight these guys for fucking peanuts. Why am I taking these top-10 opponents at like baseline contracts or second contracts? I want to fight my value and I want the value of the opponent and I want to build my brand. I’ve learned a lot about the game.

“So, now I’m gaming the game. I’ll take this fight, I’ll make more money, I’ll take another fight like this, make money,” Hernandez said. “Then, whenever I’m ready to breach into the top-15. Top-10 again, I’ll do it for the money I’m worth and the value of my opponents. Those guys are fucking killers in the top-10 and I’m not trying to get paid baseline salary to take on those dangerous ass opponents. Now, I’m just being business savvy now that I have toes dirty and I know little about the game.”

For Hernandez, he is confident he will get his hand raised whether it be by standing and knocking him out. Or, if the takedown is open, he knows he has the better jiu-jitsu and will look for the submission.

Regardless, for Alexander Hernandez, he is just looking forward to getting back to the win column and getting some hype behind his name again.

“I want it back. More importantly, I just want to prove what I am about. I know I’m f*****g great, I need to show it,” he concluded. “There is no greatness left in the gym, what is the point if you aren’t displaying it when the lights are on. This fight is the most important of my life. I just need to go in there and pop off. I’ve done a way better job of caring less.”

Do you think Alexander Hernandez will beat Chris Gruetzemacher?