Jack Hermansson

1.1. Childhood and Martial Arts Beginnings

Hermansson was born and raised in Uddevalla, Sweden, on June 10, 1988, among six siblings. He began his martial arts career in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1997, at the age of nine. Subsequently, he explored other disciplines like Muay Thai before fully transitioning to mixed martial arts in 2008.

1.2. Move to Norway and Training

At 19, Hermansson moved to Oslo, Norway, seeking work. It was in Oslo that he also started his serious mixed martial arts training. He initially trained for several years at Joachim Hansen's gym, "Team Hellboy," before later moving to Frontline Academy to continue his development as a fighter. Hermansson identifies with both his Swedish and Norwegian heritage, representing both nations when he competes.

2.1. Early Professional Career

Hermansson turned professional in 2010, quickly amassing an impressive 5-0 record within just over a year, with all victories coming by stoppage (four by knockout and one by submission). In his debut fight, he secured the East Coast Fight Factory Middleweight Championship with a third-round knockout. Two of his other early victories, both by knockout, took place in the notable British promotion Cage Warriors Fighting Championship.

2.2. Bellator MMA

Following his early success, Hermansson signed with Bellator MMA in 2012. He made his promotional debut against Daniel Vizcaya on December 14, 2012, at Bellator 84, losing a back-and-forth contest by split decision. His next fight was against Jason Butcher on March 21, 2013, at Bellator 93, where he suffered a loss by submission due to a triangle choke.

2.3. Independent Promotions and Championships

After his two fights in Bellator MMA, Hermansson returned to Europe and the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship. His first fight back was against Enoc Solves Torres on March 22, 2014, at Cage Warriors 66, which he won by TKO in the third round. Less than a month later, on April 18, 2014, he faced Ion Pascu at Cage Warriors: Fight Night 11, winning by unanimous decision, marking the first decision victory of his career.

Hermansson then challenged for the Cage Warriors Middleweight Championship against veteran and former Bellator fighter Norman Paraisy on June 7, 2014, at Cage Warriors 69. He emerged victorious, becoming the champion after defeating Paraisy by rear-naked choke submission at the end of the fourth round. He successfully defended his title against Deyan Topalski on August 22, 2014, at Cage Warriors 71, securing a first-round TKO victory.

In February 2015, the Cage Warriors promotion became inactive due to changes in leadership, leading to uncertainty about its future events. Hermansson himself faced a nearly year-long layoff due to injuries during this period.

He returned to action in a title fight in the British promotion Warrior Fight Series, facing UFC veteran Karlos Vemola on August 1, 2015, at Warrior Fight Series 4. Hermansson won the fight by armbar submission in the first round, claiming the vacant WFS Middleweight Championship. He was scheduled to face Kévin Del for the Lion FC promotional championship on November 29, 2015, but the bout was cancelled when Del withdrew due to injury. Instead, he fought the undefeated Polish fighter Maciej Rozanski on December 12, 2015, at Venator FC 2, winning by unanimous decision.

Although a defense of his WFS title was targeted for Warrior Fight Series 5 on February 13, 2016, no opponent was confirmed, and the title defense ultimately did not materialize at that event. Cage Warriors announced its return on February 11, 2016, after a period of inactivity. Hermansson defended his CWFC title against Alan Carlos in the promotion's first event back, Cage Warriors 75, on April 15, 2016, winning by knockout in the third round. His undefeated record in Cage Warriors stands at 7-0. On May 21, 2016, Hermansson faced Ireneusz Cholewa at Venator FC 3, securing a TKO victory in the third round, his eighth consecutive win.

2.4. Ultimate Fighting Championship

Jack Hermansson signed with the UFC in May 2016, embarking on a new chapter in his career in the world's premier mixed martial arts organization.

5.1. Mixed Martial Arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Performance of the Night (One time) vs. David Branch
  • Most significant body strikes landed in a UFC middleweight bout (64) vs. Sean Strickland
  • Most total strikes attempted in a UFC middleweight bout (496) vs. Ronaldo Souza
  • Fifth most significant strikes landed in UFC Middleweight division history (999)
  • Fourth most total strikes landed in UFC Middleweight division history (1366)
• UFC.com Awards
  • 2020: Ranked #7 Submission of the Year vs. Kelvin Gastelum
• Cage Warriors Fighting Championship
  • CWFC Middleweight Championship (One time)
  • Two successful title defenses
  • Undefeated in the CWFC (7-0)
• Warrior Fight Series
  • WFS Middleweight Championship (One time)
• East Coast Fight Factory
  • ECFF Middleweight Championship (One time)
• Nordic MMA Awards - MMAViking.com
  • 2014 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
  • 2018 Nordic Fighter of the Year
  • 2018 Comeback of the Year vs. Thales Leites
  • 2019 Submission of the Year vs. David Branch
  • 2019 Fighter of the Year
  • 2020 Submission of the Year vs. Kelvin Gastelum
• CombatPress.com
  • 2019 Upset of the Year vs. Ronaldo Souza

5.2. Submission Wrestling

• Oslo Submission Series
  • OSS 2 (2016) Super Fight Winner