UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer
The UFC is back at the Las Vegas Apex this weekend for another Fight Night event, and with a loaded pay-per-view coming up, it should be no surprise that this show isn’t exactly stacked.
UFC Fight Night: Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer does feature some strong bouts, but it definitely lacks some name value, meaning it could be an event for hardcores.
Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer.
#1. UFC middleweight bout: Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer
It’s often quite easy to see when the UFC likes a fighter and is ready to push them as a potential star, and in recent years, few have stood out more in this sense than Joe Pyfer.
The middleweight prospect exploded onto the scene with a knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series, and he has since reeled off three straight wins via finish in the octagon.
‘Bodybagz’ dispatched Alen Amedovski and Gerald Meerschaert via knockout, and most recently showed a surprisingly well-rounded game by submitting Abdul Razak Alhassan.
With an exciting style and an affable personality – as well as a debt of sorts to White, who reportedly helped him to secure accommodation for a year – it’s no wonder that the promotion is looking to push him.
The big question now, of course, is whether he can deliver the goods against an elite-level opponent. Veteran Jack Hermansson promises to be his first test in that sense this weekend.
‘The Joker’ has now been around since 2016, and it’s fair to say that he’s had far more success in the octagon than his initial appearances suggested.
The native of Sweden shot into title contention in 2019 after big wins over the likes of Thales Leites, David Branch, and Jacare Souza.
Since then, he’s lost a number of big fights, most notably to Jared Cannonier, Sean Strickland, and Marvin Vettori. However, his dangerous skills have kept him afloat in the top 15, and he currently sits at No.10.
The big question here is what Pyfer can do to deal with Hermansson’s crazy reach. Standing at 6ft 1in, ‘The Joker’ will be the same height as Pyfer, but he’ll enjoy a considerable reach advantage of 2.5 inches.
More to the point, the Norwegian-Swede knows exactly how to use that reach. He’s great at keeping a foe on the end of his punches, and he’s also adept at using his long arms to snatch up opportunistic submissions on the ground, particularly choke variants.
However, what should give Pyfer hope here is the fact that Hermansson’s last bout saw him knocked out by Roman Dolidze. Sure, ‘Bodybagz’ is absolutely not likely to replicate that finish, which saw Dolidze use a calf slicer attempt to flatten Hermansson out before destroying him, but it does bring into question the vet's chin.
Essentially, then, if Pyfer can rush Hermansson in the early going, bypass his reach, and land a big shot to the jaw, then he can definitely win this fight. If he’s at all gunshy or tentative, though, Hermansson is likely to either pick him apart or drag him into a scramble and grab one of his chokes.
There’s an argument for both ways, but given that this is Pyfer’s first headline bout and the pressure will be on, while Hermansson has been here on numerous occasions before, ‘The Joker’ seems like the safer pick.
The Pick: Hermansson via third-round submission
#2. UFC featherweight bout: Dan Ige vs. Andre Fili
Initially, this co-headliner would’ve featured Dan Ige, a staple of the top 15 at 145 pounds for a few years now, facing unbeaten Brit Lerone Murphy.
However, with Murphy sidelined, veteran Andre Fili has taken the bout on around three weeks’ notice, giving him a very tricky fight to handle.
‘Touchy’ has been around for a long time now, making his octagon debut way back in October 2013. Despite showing a lot of potential back then, Fili’s wide-open style has really prevented him from climbing into contention.
Essentially, he’s one of those fighters who is lethal on offense, but has such a porous defensive game that he’s always liable to be finished, or take enough damage to lose a decision.
Fili is still capable of taking an opponent out, but at the age of 33, the book is clearly written on him and quite how much he has left in the tank is anyone’s guess.
Ige, meanwhile, has carved out a spot for himself as one of the most exciting featherweights on the roster. A self-proclaimed brawler, the Hawaiian is perhaps more technical than he’s given credit for. Sure, he likes to swing hard and looks to win a bonus award – hence his nickname ‘50k’ – but the fact that he’s never been finished is a telling statistic.
Where Ige has tended to struggle is with fighters who’ve been able to smother him on the ground, or outwork him with volume on the feet. Essentially, anyone who’s looked to go toe-to-toe with ‘50k’ has lost.
That should be worrying for Fili, particularly as he won’t have had the time to prepare a really foolproof gameplan. If he were a powerful wrestler, then spamming takedowns and hoping to not gas out might’ve been enough, but that isn’t the case.
Instead, ‘Touchy’ is likely to attempt to fight fire with fire and hope that his finishing instincts and power can pull him through. Against the iron-chinned and underrated Ige, though, that’s likely to prove to be an error.
With this considered, expect a firefight in this one, but the pick is Ige.
The Pick: Ige via second-round TKO
#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card
In a middleweight bout, Robert Bryczek takes on Ihor Potieria. Initially, this one would’ve seen newcomer Bryczek taking on Albert Duraev, but with the Russian out, Potieria has stepped in on just a week’s notice.
This could be a difficult assignment for ‘The Duelist’, particularly as he’ll be dropping to 185 pounds for the first time. The Ukraine native has shown power in his shots before, but he also leaves himself open to the counter and has been stopped by strikes on three occasions in the octagon.
Poland’s Bryczek is a bit of a wild card in that he’s never fought at this level before and none of his wins have come against known opposition. However, with his last five wins coming via KO and a total of eleven stoppages in his career, he’s clearly a hard hitter.
Overall, then, given the late notice for Potieria as well as his questionable chin, the pick is probably Bryczek via KO.
In another middleweight tilt, veteran Brad Tavares faces Gregory Rodrigues. Remarkably, Tavares has been in the promotion now since 2010, making him one of the longest tenured fighters on the roster. He’s never quite beaten elite level fighters, but he’s definitely a strong gatekeeper who still sits on the cusp of the top 15.
The Hawaiian has lost to heavy hitters before, but it’s probably fair to say that they’ve been more polished than Rodrigues. ‘Robocop’ has won more fights than he’s lost in the octagon, but he’s a crude brawler who wings haymakers with little in the way of defense.
This one could go either way due to Tavares’ age and mileage, but assuming he isn’t past his best entirely, the Hawaiian should win. The pick is Tavares via decision.
At lightweight, Michael Johnson welcomes Darrius Flowers to the octagon. Like Brad Tavares, Johnson is among the UFC’s longest-tenured fighters, having made his debut back in 2010.
How much longer ‘The Menace’ can stick around, though, is questionable. He’s lost six of his last eight bouts, and while he still has plenty of speed and footwork, his chin is now questionable and he’s always open to making a strange error.
Flowers famously went viral following his ‘tombstone piledriver’ finish on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, but a positive drug test and a debut loss to Jake Matthews then derailed his hype. Quite what ‘Beast Mode’ really offers is a bit of a question mark.
Overall, this one could go either way. Johnson obviously has far more experience, is still capable of knocking opponents out, and should enjoy a speed advantage. However, it’s clear that he is past his best now, and his shaky chin makes him vulnerable. Therefore, the pick, albeit a risky one, is Flowers via knockout.
In a middleweight bout that pits a grappler against a striker, Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Rodolfo Vieira faces kickboxer Armen Petrosyan.
This one realistically should come down to whether Vieira can take his foe down. If ‘The Black Belt Hunter’ can gain a dominant position, then the fight is probably going to be over. If he can’t, then ‘Superman’ will probably pick him apart.
Despite Vieira lacking top-class wrestling and a great gas tank, though, this one seems to favor him. Petrosyan has been taken down by all but one of his foes inside the octagon, and struggled greatly on the ground against Caio Borralho. The pick, therefore, is Vieira via submission.
#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims
Picks in bold
UFC welterweight bout: Trevin Giles v. Carlos Prates
UFC lightweight bout: Damir Hadzovic vs. Bolaji Oki
UFC strawweight bout: Loma Lookboonmee vs. Bruna Brasil
UFC light-heavyweight bout: Devin Clark vs. Marcin Prachnio
UFC welterweight bout: Max Griffin vs. Jeremiah Wells
UFC light-heavyweight bout: Zac Pauga vs. Bogdan Guskov
UFC featherweight bout: Fernie Garcia vs. Hyder Amil
UFC bantamweight bout: Daniel Marcos vs. Aori Qileng