Like a senile man yelling at the neighborhood kids to “knock off that ruckus”, Norway is the dissenting opinion in Northern Europe when it comes to the legality of mixed martial arts. It shakes its fist at us, judging us for our appetite for violence, squashing any hope for aspiring mixed martial artists within its borders.
Fortunately, man’s ingenuity came through years ago, creating shiny, aerodynamic structures with wings and jet-fueled engines. For Sweden’s Jack Hermansson (4-0), the airport is the start of a journey to his next challenge, the next battle of an ongoing war to become one of the world’s best middleweight fighters.
Training under the watchful eye of legendary Norwegian fighter Joachim Hansen in Oslo, the 22-year old collected four wins since beginning his career last July, knocking out every opponent put in front of him. Shockingly, Hermansson took out undefeated thirteen-fight veteran Ali Arish in only his second professional bout, turning the tide midway through the first round and dominating Arish to a stoppage in the second.
Hermansson moved on to knock out a green Andor Filo in only twenty-eight seconds at WFC 2 in July. He stepped back up the ladder in terms of competition two months later, blasting Mike Ling in three minutes and thirty seconds at Cage Warriors Fight Night 2.
Hermansson’s brawling stand-up game, while crude, has effectively broken his opposition, but it isn’t the root of his success. Proven conditioning with the help of an extensive Greco-Roman wrestling foundation has allowed Hermansson to stifle tougher competition. With destructive power, explosive takedowns, and a physically dominant style of combat, Hermansson may be on the verge of becoming Norway’s next great export.
Check out video footage of Jack Hermansson after the jump…
| Flyweight | Bantamweight | Featherweight | Lightweight |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 – |
#1 – Rony Mariano #2 – Aljamain Sterling #3 – Chris Holdsworth #4 – Josh Hill #5 – Fabiano Fernandes #6 – Claudio Ledesma #7 – Sirwan Kakai #8 – Kyoji Horiguchi #9 – Leandro Hygo #10 – Pedro Munhoz |
#1 – Hacran Dias #2 – Joey Gambino #3 – Brandon Bender #4 – Lance Palmer #5 – Jim Alers #6 – Anthony Gutierrez #7 – Max Holloway #8 – John Teixeira #9 – Cody Bollinger #10 – Bubba Jenkins |
#1 – Fabricio Guerreiro #2 – Alessandro Ferreira #3 – Adriano Martins #4 – Justin Salas #5 – Neilson Gomes #6 – Eduard Folayang #7 – Zorobabel Moreira #8 – Anton Kuivanen #9 – Jordan Rinaldi #10 – J.P. Vainikainen |
| Welterweight | Middleweight | Light Heavyweight | Heavyweight |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 – Andrey Koreshkov #2 – Dhiego Lima #3 – Brandon Thatch #4 – Nordine Taleb #5 – Hernani Perpetuo #6 – Brock Jardine #7 – Alan Jouban #8 – Mohsen Bahari #9 – Andre Santos #10 – Stephen Thompson |
#1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – Jack Hermansson #10 – Tim Ruberg |
#1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 – |
#1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 – |
Mike Ling vs. Jack Hermansson
Ali Arish vs. Jack Hermansson
Chris Greig vs. Jack Hermansson
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