With a 20-4 overall record, 31-year-old Jack Hermansson is no mixed martial arts newcomer.
Having made his professional debut back in 2010, the Swedish-born fighter has spent time competing in various promotions such as Bellator, Cage Warriors and currently the UFC.
Despite his success over the years, however, Hermansson has only just recently begun to garner widespread attention. In fact, up until about May of 2018, many fans may not even have known who he was.
After compiling a 13-2 professional record, The Joker signed a deal with the UFC in 2016 and begun laying the foundations for what has now become a rise up the middleweight ranks. At first, however, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
Jack Hermansson
Rise Up The Ranks
In September 2016, Hermansson made his octagon debut, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Scott Askham in Hamburg, Germany. He then accepted a bout just over two months later in Brazil against Brazilian Cezar Ferreira. The result was a submission loss in the second round.
Following the first loss of his UFC tenure, Hermansson scored back-to-back TKO victories over the likes of Alex Nicholson and Brad Scott. For a brief moment, it appeared as if the Swede was back on track and poised to make a run towards the top.
Then, however, a setback once again ensued. Taking on another Brazilian in enemy territory, Hermansson was stopped by former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos in 2017.
At that point, his UFC record sat at 3-2 and his future appeared unclear. At the same time, however, it was at that point that a switch seemed to flip for The Joker.
Since that loss to Santos, Hermansson has gone 4-0 with three of those victories coming by way of stoppage. Even more impressive, his last two victories have come over former titleholders in David Branch and Ronaldo Souza.
Due to this recent string of success, Hermansson has finally begun to garner the type of attention he deserves. He’s now being seen as a legitimate contender to the middleweight title and has a big fight awaiting him this weekend in a place close to home.
UFC Copenhagen and Title Aspirations
On Saturday, Sept. 28, Hermansson will headline his second consecutive UFC event as he’s set to take on Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC Fight Night 160. The bout is set to be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Not only does this fight represent another massive opportunity for The Joker, but it will take place on land near home for the Swede. The event will be hosted in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Looking back to where Hermansson was just over a year ago, it’s clear that this turn of events has been something special.
The question, however, now becomes just how far can he take it? With 11 T/KOs and five submissions to his credit, it’s clear that Hermansson is a talented fighter.
He’ll certainly have a tough test in front of him in the form of Cannonier. “The Killa Gorilla” has won two-straight and has seemingly reinvented himself at middleweight.
Should Hermannson extend his win streak, he’ll move one step closer towards earning a shot at UFC gold. If he comes up short, however, he’ll be forced to deal with another setback.
Given how his UFC career has played out thus far though, a setback isn’t likely to put The Joker down for good.
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