Daniel Barrera is looking to get past tough veteran Mario Hernandez with hopes of one day avenging his lone career defeat to Christopher Rios.
Barrera of Eastvale, California, and Hernandez of Santa Ana, California, will face off in an eight-round junior bantamweight bout on Friday at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California, which will be broadcast on UFC Fight Pass.
Barrera, 9-1-1 (4 KOs), is looking to extend his win streak to two after a February loss to Rios. Barrera of Eastvale, California, now faces Hernandez, 13-6-1 (4 KOs), who just upset the unbeaten Jesus Martinez in June.
“We have been watching videos on him since he was 6-0,” Barrera told BoxingScene. “He is a tough guy. He comes forward. He is non-stop, so we have to be ready for him.”
Barrera, 23, also noted that conditioning isn’t the only factor in this fight, but could play a role. Barrera remembers that this isn’t the first time that Hernandez had been offered as an opponent. “I know when I was 3-0, they offered us to fight him, but he wanted an eight-rounder and I was still in the four-rounders,” Barrera said.
Barrera aims to make a statement in his upcoming bout that sends a message to the rest of the division.
“I have to perform well for this guy, because he has beaten a lot of prospects,” Barrera said. “Just putting on a great performance will show him and the people he has beaten that I am coming for everything in the division.”
Then there is Rios, 11-3 (7 KOs), a Los Angeles-based fighter who upset him via a majority decision. Barrera hopes to one day get his rematch with the 23-year-old Rios, as he wants to revisit that fight in the future.
“I definitely want to run that back with Rios,” Barrera said. “I would love it, just because I feel like there are a lot of things I could have done differently. I didn’t feel like it was my night.”
