"That's pretty homosexual" - Alexander Hernandez says Damon Jackson's reason for kindling feud is "the softest sh*t of all time"
Alexander Hernandez recently weighed in on the reason behind Damon Jackson disliking him. The two men are set to face each other in a featherweight bout this weekend in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 90.
The feud between Hernandez and Jackson goes back a few years. It's no secret that Jackson shares a close relationship with UFC icon Donald Cerrone and the two even trained under Fortis MMA's head coach Sayif Saud.
When Hernandez was booked for a fight against Cerrone in January 2019, 'The Great Ape' made some unsavory comments about the promotional veteran during his pre-fight media obligations. Unsurprisingly, that didn't go down well with Jackson, who felt Hernandez was being excessively disrespectful.
During a UFC Vegas 90 media day press conference, Jackson explained why he disliked Hernandez and said:
"I’m actually really tight with 'Cowboy' Cerrone. Him and my coach, they used to be teammates, and so when he talked a lot of smack with 'Cowboy', it kind of lit some fire underneath me. I was like, ‘Dude this guy’s so arrogant. He talks so much smack."
When Hernandez was asked for his comments on Jackson's statements, he dismissed his next opponent's words for being "pretty homosexual" and said:
"I'm pretty neutral about him myself... [Upon being told why Jackson dislikes him] Oh, that's pretty homosexual. That was a long time ago. That's like the softest sh*t of all time, dude. I promise 'Cowboy' doesn't care about you... That's kinda silly to cry over another man's woes."
When Alexander Hernandez called Donald Cerrone a "jester" before their 2019 matchup
As mentioned above, Alexander Hernandez was booked against Donald Cerrone in a lightweight fight at UFC on ESPN+1 in January 2019. During their pre-fight press conference, 'The Great Ape' sounded off on Cerrone and called the veteran a "jester" who stood between him and the throne.
While Hernandez was initially booked against Francisco Trinaldo at UFC 233 earlier that January, the promotion decided to pull him from that bout in favor of a fight against Cerrone. Hernandez notably accepted the new booking on short notice, just a week before fight night.
During a pre-fight press conference, Hernandez lashed out at Cerrone in an attempt to get under his skin. He said:
"First, I’m grateful to Cowboy for taking the fight... I just see myself facing an insecure little lad, swinging on a pop gun with a feather in his hat... You look worn out, you look aged and withered... You’re a jester in the way... You’re concerned with entertaining people, I am on the road to the throne. I’m concerned with kingship and you’re a jester." [H/T MMAFighting.com]
Cerrone ultimately defeated Hernandez via second-round knockout and handed the Missouri native his first professional loss.