Last May, Jack Hermansson had his biggest fight to date as a UFC fighter. Against Brazilian Thales Leites, he broke a rib in the first half, and little gave Hermansson, representing Norway, a chance to win the match.
However, this 30 year old athlete put up extraordinary resistance and won via TKO in the third round.
Tears of Joy: After winning with broken ribs, Hermansson couldn’t hold back his tears.
Photo: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters
The MMA world opened its eyes to the Swedish-born native of Oslo, and tears rolled down the cheeks of a happy, exhausted Hermansson.
Nearly a year later, he was ready for a new fight, and this time the opponent was bigger. On the other side of the octagon stands the eleventh ranked man in the UFC middleweight division; American David Branch. The two will meet at the end of March.
– In the modern MMA era, this is certainly the biggest fight a Norwegian fighter has had, Hermansson told NRK.
– Bigger than Meek against Usman?
– I wanted to say that, he answered with a twinkle in his eyes.
What a great career
Training partner Emil Meek met Kamaru Usman at UFC last year. It ended in loss. And although Usman is now ranked the world’s third best at welterweight, MMA expert Torstein Sandaa-Johansen also believes that Hermansson’s fight against Branch will be even bigger.
– I agree with that. Usman also ranks well, but the big difference is Hermansson’s momentum. He has more UFC fights than any other Norwegian (7), and no one has won as many as him (5), he said, and added:
SHOCK: No one expected Hermansson to come back from the injury he suffered at the start of the match, but in the end he emerged victorious over Brazilian Thales Leites.
Photo: Leo Correa / AP
– He already has the most impressive career as a Norwegian MMA athlete in history, says Sandaa-Johansen.
And if Hermansson beats 11th ranked Branch, he will enter an important branch top 15 list to UFC. Then he was suddenly on top of the world.
– This is the final test for Hermansson. A win would make him a big name in the UFC, Sandaa-Johansen said.
– This match means a lot to me. All the hard work, all the training, all the toil I’ve put in…it all led to this point. His goal is to become the best in the world, and win the middleweight belt in the UFC. “If I win this match, then everyone knows that I am one of the best in the world,” said Hermansson.
I believe there are more Norwegians in the UFC
The Uddevalla man answered in a mix of Norwegian and Swedish. In one sentence he sounds completely Norwegian, and in the next he sounds “inte”, “hard” and “world”.
When he entered the octagon, he did so with Swedish and Norwegian flags sewn together, and in an interview with NRK, Hermansson referred to himself as Norwegian.
DREAM DEBUT: Emil Meek made his dream debut with a win against Jordan Mein at UFC 206. Since then he hasn’t won another fight, and against Kamaru Usman he was knocked out in three rounds.
Photo: Peter Power/AP
The 30 year old player moved to Oslo 12 years ago. The first and most important thing was to find a job, but what he found instead was a path to the top of the world in MMA.
– It’s not a coincidence that I got to where I am today. This would not be possible without a competent MMA environment in Norway. “There are some incredibly good people who have shaped me into the player I am,” he said.
At Frontline Academy in Oslo, he, among others, trains with another Norwegian UFC professional, Emil Meek. Hermansson certainly didn’t expect these two to be the last Norwegians we see in the UFC circus.
– I think more people from Norway can step into the UFC and be at the top of the world in the future. I think so, said Hermansson.
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