UFC middleweight contender Jack Hermansson wants to fight Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, or the winner of Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till next.
Hermansson is coming off of a big win over Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Vegas 27. After a tough start in the first round, Hermansson dominated the fight with his grappling in the second and third rounds to win unanimously on the judges’ scorecards with 29-27 scorecards (the last round was a 10-8). It was a tremendous performance by Hermansson and a much-needed victory for the Swede after losing to Marvin Vettori in his last outing.
The win over Shahbazyan cements Hermansson’s place in the top-10 of the UFC middleweight division and it puts him in line for a big name his next time out. Speaking to the media following UFC Vegas 27, Hermansson was asked who he wants to fight next, and he specifically pointed to four of the top fighters in the UFC middleweight division as potential opponents, with Whittaker, Costa, Brunson, and Till all listed as potential foes.
“I want to be fighting guys like Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, the winner of Brunson and Till could be a potential fight, so yeah, those guys. It depends when I have a good opponent, but I want one more fight this year for sure. If any of the big guys are ready for me this year, I’m up for it,” Hermansson said (via MMAjunkie.com).
Hermansson has won two of his last three fights, with wins over Shahbazyan and Kelvin Gastelum during that stretch to go along with a decision loss to Vettori, the current next title challenger. Despite the setback to Vettori, the win over Shahbazyan showed that Hermansson is still one of the best at 185lbs, and he seems destined for a big next fight.
