Jack Hermansson is back.
The Road To Recovery
It’s been a minute since we last saw the #10 ranked UFC middleweight contender compete. Hermansson’s been dealing with injuries that forced him out of a fight with Brendan Allen in June. Now off the mend, he heads into a main event this Saturday against rising prospect Joe Pyfer.
“It sucks, I was supposed to fight in June last year, but I got an injury,” Hermansson told Middle Easy. “So, I needed to to heal up and take some time off and slowly get back into the game. But, now we’re here. Now I’m ready. I’m really looking forward to to get back in there.”
Hermansson’s First Impression Of Fighting Pyfer
The unranked Pyfer has went undefeated in his UFC run so far. ‘Bodybagz’ boasts three-straight KO wins which led him to a headliner spot in Las Vegas. Hermansson admits this wasn’t the matchup he was expecting, but it’s one ‘The Joker’ will happily accept.
“A little bit [surprised],” Hermansson said of getting Pyfer next. “But, at the same time I understand that he’s a guy with a lot of hype that they wanna give a good opportunity. My opportunity with this, especially since I’m coming off a loss is to get another main event. So, that’s a good opportunity for me. I think we both has something to win on taking this fight.”
Styles Make Fights
Heading into his 17th UFC fight, Hermansson gives his assessment.
“I see me as a more of a volume-puncher, maybe more of a grappler, while he is more of a power-puncher and maybe more of a wrestler.”
“I think [experience] can play a big role. He’s experienced in in training. He’s been training his whole life. So, obviously he has experience when it comes to all the technical and tactical stuff of the of the game. I’m sure he’s already there, but there’s always something different to do a 5-rounder, especially against a very well conditioned guy like myself. So, I think that if it goes through later rounds, it’s gonna be a new experience for him no matter what.”
‘Jack Is Still Here’
Hermansson is ready to remind the world that he’s still a big player in the UFC Middleweight division.
“That will show everybody that, ‘okay, Jack is still here, he’s ready, and they give him another opportunity, another big big name’. So, I can stay up there and continue to climb. I think that’s gives me a good opportunity to to to move on and move up.”
The Game-Plan
Apparently having done his homework, Jack Hermansson explains just how he’ll neutralize proven power-puncher Joe Pyfer.
“It’s gonna be a tough fight,” Hermansson acknowledged. “I know that Pyfer’s super dangerous, so it’s one of these fights where it’s it’s about to hit him without getting hit. That is a basic game plan that I’m gonna execute. Of course, there’s a lot of more detail to it. But, in the big picture, it’s hit Joe without getting hit.”
