This past Saturday night in the main event of UFC Vegas 86 from The APEX, we saw a battle between two top middleweight contenders. 11th ranked Jack Hermansson (23-8) was looking to defend his spot in the rankings as he took on the surging Joe Pyfer (12-2).
Entering this past Saturday, all the attention and the hype was surrounding Joe Pyfer. Pyfer entered the octagon having gone unbeaten in the UFC and Jack Hermansson’s stock was pretty low. It had been over a year since Hermansson last fought and in his last fight, he had been finished by Roman Dolidze.
When the fight started out, it looked like another one-sided Joe Pyfer fight. Pyfer was getting the better of the striking and he was really taking it to Hermansson. However, Hermansson hung in there to see round two. In the second round, it was more of the same, but near the end of the round, momentum started to shift.
You could tell that Pyfer was starting to get tired and Hermansson started pressuring and throwing jabs. The jabs were really bothering Pyfer as well as the leg kicks. Rounds three and four were completely controlled by Hermansson. Entering the final round, all three judges had the fight even and Hermansson got a big takedown to secure the decision win at UFC Vegas 86.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 86?
This was a huge win for Jack Hermansson. While Pyfer wasn’t ranked, he had a ton of momentum behind him and the UFC was viewing him as a potential star. Hermansson completely halted the hype train and got himself back in the win column as well. You couldn’t draw up a better outcome for Hermansson outside of a finish.
Now that he got this win, what should be next for him? Well, he called for a fight with Nassourdine Imavov and honestly considering the rankings, it’s the fight I would suggest. Imavov is coming off a decision win against Roman Dolidze and is just in front of Hermansson in the rankings. Seems like a good fight for the promotion to put together.