Jack Hermansson

ANALYSIS
After a disastrous loss to Gregory Rodriguez at UFC 317, Hermansson will move down a weight class from middleweight to welterweight. Interestingly, his opponent is also changing weight classes, moving up from lightweight to welterweight.

ANALYSIS
It was a disappointing performance from Hermansson in his first fight in nearly 17 months. He fought Rodrigues evenly for nearly the entirety of the opening frame, only to get crushed with a left hand late in the that which knocked him out cold before he hit the mat. Jack then had to deal with a vicious follow-up shot from Rodrigues because referee Herb Dean didn't step in quickly enough. Hermansson has had durability issues in the past, and it's fair to wonder if that's only going to get worse as he ages. Now 37 years old, four of Jack's nine career defeats have come via knockout. He has somehow alternated losses and wins in his past 10 fights dating back to April 2019.

ANALYSIS
The Joker will look for his second win of the year after defeating Joe Pyfer via unanimous decision back in February. Hermansson will take on the 33-year-old middleweight in Rodrigues, who is 2-1 in his last three fights.

ANALYSIS
As the old saying goes, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. Make no mistake, Hermansson started poorly. Although he'd never admit it, it appeared as if Jack made a conscious effort to simply survive the first seven or eight minutes and then turn up the pace. He had to absorb countless power shots from Pyfer during that period, but it allowed him to begin to time his opponent and it put those skills to great use during the final three rounds. Hermansson became the more aggressive man, limiting Pyfer's openings and working behind his jab. With the fight clearly tied in the dying minutes, Jack executed a perfect takedown and cruised to the final bell. You would have to be blind to watch this fight and not see Pyfer was the more gifted competitor, but timing, smarts and experience can go a long way in this sport. The 35-year-old Swede has now alternated wins and losses in his past nine fights.

ANALYSIS
Hermansson will return to the Octagon after more than a year since his last bout. He was scheduled to fight Brendan Allen in June but had to withdraw due to an unspecified injury.