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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight contenders Jack Hermansson and Jared Cannonier will collide TODAY (Sat., Sept. 28, 2019) at UFC Fight Night 160 from inside Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Hermansson has really put it all together within the last year, blending his striking and wrestling better than ever before to more successfully implement his brutal top game. The 31-year-old is in his prime, ready to fully make the leap and fight for a title, but he needs at least one more victory to make it a reality. Cannonier has also come into his own recently, finally taking full advantage of his athletic gifts now that he’s at the correct weight class. Against opponents of a similar stature, Cannonier’s speed and power advantages have been even more notable. “The Killa Gorilla” was always threatening, but he looks extremely dangerous at 185 pounds.
Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:
Jack Hermansson
Record: 20-4
Key Wins: Ronaldo Souza (UFC Fight Night 150), David Branch (UFC on ESPN 2), Thales Leites (UFC 224), Gerald Meerschaert (UFC on FOX 31)
Key Losses: Thiago Santos (UFC Fight Night 119), Cezar Ferreira (UFC Fight Night 100)
Keys to Victory: Hermansson is certainly a well-rounded contender. His style of kickboxing is heavy on the feints and movement, allowing him to blitz opponents with both punches or takedown attempts. Once he’s in top position, Hermansson is extremely dominant, and it also helps that Hermansson can fight hard for 25 minutes.
Hermansson may have largely picked apart “Jacare,” but that doesn’t mean he wants to strike with Cannonier, who hits tremendously hard for a Middleweight. This will be a stylistic return to form for Hermansson, who will almost certainly look to duck under a punch and gain top position pretty early in the fight.
There’s only one major adjustment I’d like to see from Hermansson (aside from generally sticking to a wrestling-heavy game plan), and that’s to be wary of the naked low kick. Hermansson does a nice job of setting his low kick up with feints, but against a composed and explosive striker like Cannonier, the risk of getting blasted while on one leg is still too high.
Jared Cannonier
Record: 12-4
Key Wins: Anderson Silva (UFC 237) David Branch (UFC 230), Ion Cutelaba (TUF 24 Finale), Cyril Asker (UFC Fight Night 86)
Key Losses: Glover Teixeira (UFC 208), Jan Blachowicz (UFC on FOX 26), Dominick Reyes (UFC Fight Night 129)
Keys to Victory: Cannonier is one hell of an athlete. He’s primarily a kickboxer, one who relies tricky feints to setup huge power punches. At 185 lbs., Cannonier’s strength has proven a significant factor as well, as David Branch simply seemed unable to contain him on the mat.
Cannonier’s bout with Branch is the closest stylistic comparison to Hermansson available in his recent fight history, but he has to approach the fight differently. In that bout, Cannonier really threw caution to the wind, forcing the fight immediately. It eventually paid off: Branch was unable to maintain the torrid pace, leaving him stranded on the feet with a better striker.
Hermansson is not Branch though. His cardio is excellent, and perhaps more importantly, his finishing ability from top position is not to be chanced. Branch was able to score frequent double legs and a couple dominant positions due to Cannonier’s early aggression. While he was unable to capitalize, Hermansson very likely finishes Cannonier in the same positions.
As such, patience is key here. Cannonier can still take advantage of his speed and power in a more measured kickboxing match, and slowing the pace will help ensure he doesn’t overextend on a punch and give up an easy takedown.
Bottom Line: The victor is close to a title shot.
It’s really interesting just how much the last two bouts have changed the positions of each man. Hermansson has technically won his last four, but the previous two wins were those that elevated him into the Top 10. As a result of their recent strong performances, both have shed the “dark horse” label and are now just one more win away from a possible title eliminator bout.
However, as a result of the relative quickness of the climb, there is more at risk. Hermansson risks falling from the Top 5, a position he just recently obtained. The potential consequences are even more serious for Cannonier, who at 35 years of age does not really have time for a setback.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 160 fight card this afternoon RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+“Prelims” that are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET, then the main card portion that will stream on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET.
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At UFC Fight Night 160, Jack Hermansson and Jared Cannonier will meet in the main event. Which man will have his hand raised?