Jack Hermansson has no intention of letting Joe Pyfer build on his name when the two meet in the UFC Vegas Main event on February 10th.
The pair will clash at the UFC Apex in a bout which many see as a contest designed to see if Pyfer is ready to break into the top 15 in the world in just his fourth fight with the UFC.
The bout will mark Hermansson’s return to the octagon for the first time since 2022, when he lost to Roman Dolidze at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs Holland. Speaking to the media pre-fight, Hermansson expressed his delight at being back and straight into another main event, even if it is against a prospect. He said:
“I was presented with a main event at the same time and that was the most important thing for me. Coming off a loss, I think it is a good opportunity, even though it is against a guy who is unranked and up and coming and I see Joe as a great opponent and a big threat and I think he can do good things in the sport, it’s just not going to happen on Saturday.”
2024 is Hermansson’s 14th year as a professional and his 8th in the UFC. Reflecting, The Joker confessed it is a bit of a strange feeling for him to be one of the longer serving athletes in the division but he is determined to get a win over ‘Bodybagz’ and start climbing the rankings once more. He said:
“It is a little bit weird, it goes so quickly. It feels like yesterday I got the shot on a couple of weeks notice against Jacare, it was my big shot to step up but now it is his turn and I feel like it doesn’t bother me a lot I just need to show everybody that I belong here and this is my spot and that after I beat Joe I can continue to climb upwards again.”
Hermansson was once in a similar position to Pyfer, as a rising star working through the division, so he is no stranger to the promotional hype that comes with it and the opportunities that arise.
“You see that sometimes when you’re a young up and comer, coming up with a lot of hype and they think that the old dog is going to be beaten but I assure you that that’s not going to happen this time.”
Watch the full interview, here:
