5 Things You Might Not Know About Jack Hermansson

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Jack Hermansson still lurks on the fringes of contention in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.

“The Joker” will attempt to once again right his ship when he faces once-beaten Glendale Fighting Club prospect Edmen Shahabazyan in a three-round UFC Fight Night 188 showcase on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hermansson, 32, boasts an 8-4 record inside the Octagon, his resume buoyed by victories over Kelvin Gastelum, Ronaldo Souza, Gerald Meerschaert and Thales Leites. However, he finds himself on the rebound following a unanimous decision loss to Marvin Vettori in the UFC on ESPN 19 main event in December.

Ahead of Hermansson’s showdown with Shahbazyan, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He found a home away from home.

Hermansson was born in Uddevalla, Sweden—a small town of roughly 30,000 people on the southern end of the Scandinavian country. However, he operates out of Oslo, Norway, and represents the flags of both countries whenever he competes.

2. The regional scene was good to him.

While “The Joker” has yet to claim a UFC championship, he has experience being a marked man. Hermansson captured titles in the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship, Warrior Fight Series and East Coast Fight Factory promotions prior to his run in the UFC.

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3. He often reaches violent conclusions.

Hermansson has 10 first-round finishes to his credit, three of the sub-minute variety. He submitted Ian Farquharson with a rear-naked choke in 43 seconds at an Into the Cage event on Nov. 20, 2010, knocked out Andor Filo in 28 seconds at a World Fighting Championships show on July 9, 2011 and submitted David Branch with a guillotine choke in 49 seconds at UFC on ESPN 2 on March 30, 2019.

4. The wheels-up lifestyle suits him.

Like many seasoned European fighters, Hermansson has piled up the frequent flier miles. He has fought in 10 different countries during his 27-fight career. Hermansson has gone 7-0 in England, 3-3 in the United States, 3-0 in Jordan, 1-2 in Brazil, 2-0 in Italy, 1-1 in Denmark, 1-0 in Germany, 1-0 in Sweden, 1-0 in Mexico and 1-0 in the United Arab Emirates.

5. Consistency has become one of his defining traits.

Hermansson has suffered back-to-back defeats just once in his career. He dropped a split decision to Daniel Vizcaya at Bellator 84 in December 2012, then submitted to a Jason Butcher triangle choke at Bellator 93 a little more than three months later.