Jack Hermansson believes he remains the biggest threat to the middleweight champion.
Hermansson is coming off a tough decision loss to short notice replacement Marvin Vettori. It was the second loss in the past three fight for the Swedish middleweight contender. He hopes to get things back on track when he faces Edman Shahbazyan at UFC 262 on May 15.
Despite his recent stretch, Hermansson still believes he matches up well against middleweight king Israel Adesanya. Speaking to Curtis Calhoun for LowKick MMA, Hermansson spoke about the potential matchup and the holes he says have been exposed in Adesanya’s game.
“I think that I’m probably the hardest matchup for him out there,” Hermansson said of the titleholder. “I believe that me and probably Chris Weidman… he’s a similar style as myself. I think I have a little bit more of a devastating ground and pound, he probably has a little bit of better wrestling, but I think myself and Chris are the hardest matchups for Adesanya in this division.”
“I think Blachowicz showed us a little bit of that,” Hermansson continued. “That Adesanya’s bottom game maybe isn’t the best. If I end up on top of him, I think he’s in big trouble. I see myself as the hardest matchup for him in this division.”
Hermansson’s ground game has undoubtedly caused problems for his opposition in the past. Three of his past four wins have come by submission, with two of them coming by his patented guillotine. On paper, in certainly appears as though Hermansson does have to tools to cause the middleweight king trouble.
However, before any talk of a potential showdown against Adesanya can truly gain any traction, Hermansson first has to get by Shahbazyan. The Ronda Rousey/Edmond Tarverdyan protégé is coming off the first loss of his career, but had previously run up a perfect 11-0 start to his career with 10 first-round finishes. The winner of the fight will immediately be thrown back into title contention, while the loser will find themselves quickly losing their footing in a suddenly crowded middleweight division.
How do you think Jack Hermansson matches up against Israel Adesanya? Let us know!
Jack “The Joker” Hermansson has always been one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC’s middleweight division. From his impressive performance against Jacare Souza, to his submission win over Kelvin Gastelum, Hermansson has always been right at the edge of a shot at the middleweight title. After falling to Marvin Vettori last December, Hermansson […]
Top middleweight contender Jack Hermansson has confirmed he suffered a “broken eye socket” in his five-round decision defeat at the hands of Marvin Vettori at UFC Vegas 16. ‘The Italian Dream’ seized his short-notice opportunity opposite the #4 ranked middleweight Hermansson last night. Vettori dropped Hermansson with a left hand early, and briefly threatened with […]