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Jack Hermansson suffered a split decision loss to Sean Strickland on Saturday. Hermansson's form has been up and down as of late and despite the loss, he remains very much a factor at 185 lbs. 'The Joker's is 3-3 in his last six fights and It will be interesting to see who he will take on next.
Hermansson was coming into Saturday off the back of a solid victory over Edmen Shabazyan. Prior to that he lost to Marvin Vettori and before that defeated Kelvin Gastelum. These results show that while he is clearly a quality middleweight. However, he has struggled to break into the true elite of the division.
Given his recent loss, 'The Joker' is likely due a step down in competition next time out. Presumably, that will be against a lower-ranked opponent but it could even be against someone currently just outside the division's top 15.
With Hermansson's proven ability to bounce back from a loss and his all-around calm personality, you can expect him to be very dangerous the next time he enters the octagon.
With that in mind, here are five potential opponents for Jack Hermansson after his latest setback:
#5. Jack Hermansson vs. Alex Pereira
The man who holds two kickboxing victories over Israel Adesanya appears to be on a fast-track to the title. Alex Pereira will have a very tough bout next time out against Bruno Silva but should he win that, he will likely be ready for a ranked opponent.
With Hermansson likely to fall further down those rankings in the wake of Saturday's loss, perhaps the two could meet in the middle. Pereira is an incredibly accomplished striker but if he is to pursue Adesanya and his title, he will have to prove he is able to get past tough grapplers like Hermansson.
While it would be a big step up in competition for Pereira, this is the type of fight he would have to win if he truly has title aspirations. For Hermansson, it would give him the opportunity to get back in the win column and prove he isn't quite done yet.
#4. Jack Hermansson vs. Krzysztof Jotko
While you might not think Krzysztof Jotko is deserving of a shot at Jack Hermansson, the Polish fighter has quietly won four of his last five. The only loss Jotko has suffered during this run was against one Sean Strickland.
With Jotko now seemingly on the edge of becoming ranked and Hermansson presumably facing a drop down the rankings, a fight between the pair could make sense.
Should the pair meet, Jotko would get the opportunity for a statement win to break him into the top 15 and Hermansson can prove he is a better fighter than he showed against Strickland. Matching these two up in an event in Europe could also make for a highly invested crowd who would get to see two of the best middleweights on the continent.
#3. Jack Hermansson vs. Brad Tavares
While Jack Hermansson will surely see his ranking drop, pitting him against an unranked fighter might be a step too far. Instead, having him fight the No.11 ranked fighter who is currently on a two-fight win streak, might be a more appropriate level of opponent.
Brad Tavares had lost consecutive fights to Israel Adesanya and Edmen Shahbazyan but rebounded after a year out with consecutive wins. He holds a 14-6 record in the UFC and has likely done enough now to take on someone above him in the rankings.
Tavares and Hermansson appear very evenly matched on paper and each man is approaching a critical point in their respective careers. The winner would have his ranked status validated and be well positioned for some big-name fights moving forward.
However, for the loser, the dream of one day entering the title picture would likely be out of reach for good.
#2. Jack Hermansson vs. Paulo Costa
While it would be surprising for Jack Hermansson to get a higher-ranked opponent coming off a loss, Paulo Costa is somewhat of a unique case. After failing miserably to make weight for his previous fight with Marvin Vettori, Costa has been beefing with the UFC ever since.
Immediately following the bout, Dana White indicated that Costa would have to move up to the light heavyweight division. 'Borrachinha' and his team have argued against this and he even went as far as to say recently that he wants a rematch with Vettori and will not consider another fight.
With that unlikely to come to fruition, you can expect the promotion to give him an opponent that will make life tricky for him. The lower-ranked Hermansson, who is a constant submission threat, could end up being just the sort of fighter the UFC wants to put in that spot.
#1. Jack Hermansson vs. Darren Till
There had been a wealth of rumors that the next man Darren Till would face would be Uriah Hall. However, Hall is now scheduled to face Andre Muniz in April and so with many of the middleweights around Till in the rankings now booked, Hermansson may now be the favorite to get that fight.
Both Till and Hermansson are in awkward positions in the division in that while they are clearly far from average, they haven't been able to break into the title conversation. While Till, in particular, has suffered a number of losses recently, his popularity means the UFC would surely love for him to turn things around.
There simply aren't many fighters in the middle of the UFC rankings that aren't booked and so matching up these two men who are coming off losses seems appropriate. It would be a great test for both men and the striker versus grappler dynamic could make for a very interesting fight.
