Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at Swedish middleweight Jack Hermansson as he makes his UFC debut against at UFC Scott Askham at Fight Night 93 in Hamburg, Germany. Jack Hermansson Hometown: Uddevalla, Sweden Age: 28 Height: 6’1” Reach: 75” Weight Class: Middleweight Camp: Frontline Academy Career Record: 13-2 Key Wins: Karlos Vemola Key Losses: Jason Butcher Background The former Cage Warriors Middleweight Champion, Hermansson has fought a decent level of competition in Bellator as well as on the regional scene. His background was in wrestling prior to making the jump to MMA. Strengths
- Good movement
- Does his best work from range
- Well-conditioned
- Solid ground and pound once he’s able to get top control
- Very good submissions off his back
Weaknesses
- Bit undersized for the weight class
- Rarely strikes in combination
- Stand up can be a bit static at times
- Keeps chin too high and can be hit on the feet
Matchup with Scott Askham This is perhaps the most underrated matchup on the card as Scott Askham welcomes the former Cage Warriors Champion into the UFC. Askham is a couple inches taller, but the reach is identical at 75 inches. These fighters were born within a couple weeks of each other. Overall, there are a lot of similarities between these two guys which makes this fight compelling. Askham does his best work when he’s able to push his opponent against the cage, while Hermansson does his best work from distance. Neither guy is particularly volume heavy in this cage, so this fight could well be difficult to score. I expect this fight to go decision (-165) and likely a closely scored fight. To me, this is a buyer beware type fight as the expectation is the judges will be the one deciding the outcome. UFC Ceiling Jack Hermansson is fairly proven fighter for someone making his UFC debut. Cage Warriors tends to provide solid experience for its fighters so that the jump to the UFC isn’t drastic. In Hermansson, we will see a well-conditioned fighter with solid hands and good movement. He has a nice ground game from both top position and in the guard. He’s certainly better suited for success at welterweight where physically he can compete with the entire division. At middleweight, he will struggle when paired with the top half of the division against fighters that are stronger and longer than he is. I think Hermansson is a developed fighter so not expecting major improvements from his current form. That’s good enough to have a lengthy career in the UFC, but likely not enough to ever be a top 15 middleweight. Fight Film Check out Jack Hermansson in some of his most recent fights: Jack Hermansson vs. Karlos Vemola Jack Hermansson vs. Ireneusz Cholewa