As it stands, UFC contender Jack Hermansson believes that he remains the toughest matchup for the middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
The number seven ranked middleweight is coming off a hard-fought unanimous decision loss to Marvin Vettori. After securing wins over Hermansson and Kevin Holland more recently, “The Italian Dream” is now competing for the title against champion Adesanya at UFC 263 scheduled for June 12. Although, eying a title run in 2021 is Jack Hermansson, who will look to make a statement against Edmen Shahbazyan on the UFC 262 pay-per-view headlined by Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira.
Prior to enduring the loss against Vettori, Jack Hermansson impressed the masses when he finished former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum by heel hook in 2020. Hermansson believes his style presents problems for the champion because of their ability to control Adesanya in top position should the fight move to the mat.
“I think that I’m probably the hardest matchup for him out there,” Hermansson said of the titleholder to LowKickMMA. “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.”
Additionally, Hermansson acknowledged that the wrestling-centric style of former champion Chris Weidman would give Adesanya problems inside the cage. Prior to his misfortune at UFC 261, where he suffered a terrible leg break against Uriah Hall, Weidman also mentioned that he believes himself to be a troublesome matchup for Adesanya.
It seems after the fight with light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, that Hermansson now sees holes in Adesanya’s game. The rising contender elaborated on some of those deficiencies.
“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.”
With such unorthodox submissions, Hermansson is excited at the idea of facing the champion. At UFC 262 Hermansson will once again have a chance to prove why he’s such a dangerous threat in the middleweight division.
Who do you believe will get back in the win column at UFC 262, Jack Hermansson or Edmen Shahbazyan? Let us know below!
