Middleweight Jack Hermansson produced one of the most stunning comebacks of 2018, as he rallied from a one-sided round 2 to become the first man to ever stop former UFC title challenger Thales Leites by strikes. Hermansson was in noticeable pain throughout that round, and it appeared as if it was his left knee. In the post-fight interview, Jack said he’d broken a rib.
Either way, he was crying out in agony throughout round 2, then in round 3 he went for broke and tried to get the finish. It nearly backfired, as Leites was ready to choke him out, but then Hermansson turned things around and mounted the Brazilian, and hammered him with ground-and-pound to get the TKO win. Amazing scenes at UFC 224 in Rio, as the crowd fell silent. Hermansson cried tears of joy after the incredible victory.
Watch the footage in the video below:
WHAT. A. COMEBACK.@JackTheJokerMMA #UFC224 pic.twitter.com/Xcg3ydPWxD
— UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2018
Here’s Tim Burke’s play-by-play of the finish:
Round 3 – Hermansson charges out with a flying knee attempt. Leites takes him down, but Hermansson looks for a guillotine. He’s squeezing hard but doesn’t have control of Leites’ body. Leites scoots away and gets a front headlock. He then looks for an anaconda choke. He switches to a guillotine but lets it go. Hermansson is on top. Hermansson gets to mount, and opens up with big punches! Leites is in big trouble and it’s over! Wow, Hermansson looked like he was badly injured and still won. Tough guy.
Jack Hermansson defeated Thales Leites via TKO (strikes), 2:10 of round 3
Continue following our UFC 224 preliminary card play-by-play right here.
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