Hermansson dropped a split decision to Strickland, but is taking the loss in stride.
Jack Hermansson had a creative response to his split decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC Vegas 47 this past Saturday night.
Hermansson tried to close the distance and get Strickland to the ground, but his efforts were thwarted by an effective jab and sound defense. The ‘Joker’ decided to push the pace in the fourth and fifth rounds, moving forward and going for takedowns against ’Tarzan’ until the horn signifying the end of the fight sounded. That final push appeared to have swayed the opinion of one judge who scored the fight for Hermansson, but it was Strickland who ultimately left the Octagon with a split decision win.
Like his opponent, Hermansson was none too pleased with his performance. He took to Instagram on Sunday morning to respond and apologize for his inability to implement his game plan in the form of a poem.
“I’m sorry fans, about tonight,” wrote Hermansson. “I had a bad performance, and I lost the fight. It wasn’t pretty, or technically sound. I couldn’t get the bastard to the ground. Sorry Sean this one went to a decision. Best of luck to murder your next competition.”
Strickland replied and continued to praise Hermansson after the fight.
“Thank you man it was an honor. I hope we meet again! True warrior …,” wrote Strickland.
With this loss, Hermansson has alternated between wins and losses in his past six outings. The No. 6 ranked contender earned victories over Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza, Kelvin Gastelum and Edmen Shahbazyan, but suffered setbacks to Jared Cannonier, Marvin Vettori and now Strickland.
Since moving up to the middleweight division, Strickland has remained unbeaten in five appearances. During his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, he expressed interest in a championship opportunity against the winner of Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 next weekend.