With boxing aspirations shelved to chase MMA dream, Jesus Hernandez isn't stopping until he's reached the top

When Jesus Hernandez enters the cage at Thursday's CFFC 110 event, it will mark his ninth appearance in the span of just 17 months. 

The welterweight prospect originally planned on making a similar run in boxing, but an invitation to try his hand at MMA resulted in him finding a new passion.

"I was doing boxing, but I really had no one to take me to where I wanted to take it myself," Hernandez explained. "A buddy of mine, Orlando, he's like, 'Hey, you should come try out Top Brother over here. They do MMA.' I was like, 'Well, you know what? I'll give it a try one of these days when I have time to go out there,' and finally, like a month later, I finally went, and Coach Franklin invited me inside and he asked me, 'What you do?' I'm like, 'Well, I box.' 

"He asked me if I wanted to try MMA. I was like, 'Yeah, but I've got no gloves, you know?' Then someone in the crowd was like, 'Man, I got some gloves,' so they threw me a pair of gloves and were like, 'Let's see what you got.'"

Hernandez instantly enjoyed the new challenge but realized there was going to be a steep learning curve. After that initial session, though, he made the decision to give it a go.

"Coach and I spoke, and he was like, 'So this is what you want?'" Hernandez recalled. "I was like, 'Yes, on one condition. I made myself a promise in life that I'm not going to do anything unless I'm going to give it 100 percent.' He goes, 'Well, you know what? Let's do a prayer, and we'll leave it to God.' Ever since that day, I've been doing MMA at Top Brother MMA with Coach Franklin."

Like most strikers who transition to MMA, Hernandez admits his early work in the grappling department proved a bit frustrating. But as he began to learn that side of the sport, it only fueled his passion for knowledge even more.

"I've always been a striker, and when I started doing grappling with Coach, he's like, 'Hey, this is MMA. You've got to learn grappling. You've got to learn wrestling. You've got to learn jiu-jitsu. You've got to learn everything,'" Hernandez recalled. "I'm just like, 'Well, let's try it out.' At first I hated it, you know, because it was so much to learn in a little time. Coach was pushing me, pushing me, pushing me, and I'm learning, and as time goes by, I started to love it more, you know?

"I definitely had a love-hate relationship with wrestling and jiu-jitsu to start, but now I love it because now I see there's so much potential in this sport. There's so much potential in wrestling and grappling and judo that takes you there, you know? Now I've learned so much judo and learned so much wrestling and jiu-jitsu that I'm going to the next level now. I just got my blue belt in judo, so I'm rising up. Now I love wrestling and jiu-jitsu and judo."

After compiling an impressive 5-1 record as an amateur, Hernandez made his professional debut in January but was dealt a stoppage loss. However, he showed his improving grappling skills in his sophomore effort, a March contest he won via submission in the first round.

"That first pro win, it meant a lot to me," Hernandez said. "We train hard. We've never stopped, from the amateur fights all the way to my pro fights. I have not stopped training yet. There's no days off, so that fight meant so much to me because I was so hungry. 

"When I won that fight, when I put him in that guillotine, I'm just like, 'Man.' I felt so overwhelmed, so happy, you know? I felt like this is where I belong now, you know? In MMA."

Hernandez (1-1) will look to build on the strength of that first win at Thursday's CFFC 110, when he takes on Jorge Molina (0-1) in a 175-pound catchweight contest that streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from Florida's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Hernandez knows a win isn't getting him an invitation to the sport's top promotions just yet, but he still wants to make a statement in his biggest opportunity to date.

"I want to win, but honestly, I want a knockout," Hernandez said. "I want something nice. I want the people to be like, 'Man, look at this guy! This guy is incredible. He gives a show, and he's here to stay.'

"I want to make a statement when I'm there. I want to make sure that the UFC sees me and is like, 'Hey, this guy has great potential. Look at his background. Look what he's been through. He has not stopped, and he's not stopping now.'" 

Regardless of the result, Hernandez said he expects to maintain his torrid pace. Win or lose, he'll be back in the gym the following week, and he'll be looking to fight again as quickly as possible in pursuit of his new dream.

"I just want to give a shout out to CFFC, Fight Pass, and the UFC," Hernandez said. "Thank you for having me, for showing me love, and just be ready to see a show. I want all the fans out there, all my support team, to see that what I'm doing here, it's possible that anybody could do it as long as they put that work in, you know? And a big shout out to all my sponsors who have helped me throughout my way. I appreciate it, and I love them all."