The Cuban-American fighter Luis «The Stache» Hernández, an active agent with the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, had a stunning debut in the UFC by defeating Sedriques Dumas via submission just 57 seconds into the first round.
Hernández triumphed this Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, during UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos. The Cuban-American struck early, closed the distance, and ultimately caught Dumas in a guillotine that forced him to submit.
The victory raised his professional record to 9-0 and maintains a distinctive feature in his career: none of his nine victories have gone to a judge’s decision. Six have been by submission.
Hernández made his UFC debut just 11 days after securing the contract. On September 15, he defeated the Frenchman Hugo Guillon via a rear-naked choke at 1:01 of the second round during the sixth week of the tenth season of Dana White's Contender Series.
The Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office emphasized that, following that victory, Hernández became, according to the institution itself, the first active law enforcement officer from a sheriff's office in the United States to secure a contract with the UFC.
The opportunity to debut came quite unexpectedly. Dumas was originally set to face Mickey Gall, but Gall was removed from the lineup due to medical issues on Thursday.
Hernández agreed to replace him with only two days' notice and the fight changed from middleweight to light heavyweight.
MMA Fighting highlighted that Hernández injured Dumas with a strike before securing the guillotine that ended the fight in under a minute.
Outside the octagon, Hernández maintains a completely different career: he is a full-time deputy with the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office and is part of the Priority Response Team, a specialized unit that responds to situations involving active shooters and other incidents deemed high-risk.
According to the Sheriff's Office itself, he has been training for approximately eight years while balancing his sports career with police work.
Hernández was born and raised in Miami and is the son of Cuban parents. After signing his contract with the UFC, he explained that he has relatives on the island and openly embraced both identities: American and Cuban.
The Sheriff's Office immediately celebrated the outcome. "Victory in the octagon!" the institution wrote in a post on X while congratulating the officer on his debut.
UFC also acknowledged his performance with one of the Performance of the Night awards, concluding a whirlwind week during which Hernández went from securing his contract to winning his first fight in the octagon in just 11 days.
Hernández joins a tradition of Cuban fighters and fighters of Cuban descent who have been part of the UFC.
One of the most recent cases is the Santiago native Robelis Despaigne, who made his UFC debut in March 2024 with a knockout in just 18 seconds against Josh Parisian at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
After two subsequent defeats, the organization decided to part ways with him in October of that same year.
Another historical figure is Yoel Romero, Olympic runner-up in wrestling at the Sydney 2000 Games and for years one of the leading Cuban figures in the UFC.
In 2017, Romero fought for the interim middleweight title against Robert Whittaker and expressed his desire to become the first Cuban champion of the organization.
Also noteworthy is the Cuban-American Jorge Masvidal, born in Miami to a Cuban father and a Peruvian mother, one of the most well-known figures in the UFC for years.
Additionally, he is also known for his public activism related to the political situation of the island.
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