"I was hoping to be the person that beats him" - Jack Hermansson reveals how Israel Adesanya could maintain his invincibility at middleweight
Ahead of his return to the octagon at UFC Vegas 27, Jack Hermansson has given his take on Israel Adesanya's first MMA loss. The reigning UFC middleweight champion recently failed to beat Jan Blachowicz at light heavyweight. Regardless, Hermansson believes that Adesanya can maintain his invincibility at 185 with a stellar showing against Marvin Vettori.
During an interview with The Schmo, Jack Hermansson claimed that he hoped to hand Adesanya his first loss in the UFC. However, the #7 ranked UFC middleweight added that if Adesanya can do a great job in his next fight, he will still be regarded as invincible at middleweight. Hermansson said:
"I was hoping to be the person to beat him, you know. Unfortunately, he got his first loss in another weight class but at the same time, he's undefeated at middleweight. And if he can do a great job with Vettori in his next fight, he is still gonna keep that invincibility in 185."
At the upcoming UFC pay-per-view, UFC 263, Adesanya will defend the UFC middleweight title against Marvin Vettori in a rematch. On the back of his unsuccessful attempt to win the UFC light heavyweight title, The Last Stylebender will aim to do the double over Vettori.
In 2018, Adesanya defeated The Italian Dream in a close fight that could've gone either way. Vettori was rewarded with a title shot ahead of former champion Robert Whittaker following his impressive run at middleweight, which included wins over Hermansson and Kevin Holland.
Jack Hermansson will aim to make a winning return to the octagon at UFC Vegas 27
Jack Hermansson is currently on the back of a loss to Marvin Vettori after their fight in December 2020. The Joker has already beaten some of the top fighters in the middleweight division, boasting wins over Kelvin Gastelum, Ronaldo Souza and David Branch.
Hermansson will aim to put away the up-and-coming Edmen Shahbazyan and hand him his second UFC loss this weekend. Shahbazyan is on the back of a defeat to veteran Derek Brunson and will aim to get back into the win column.