Seven fights into his UFC career, Sweden’s Jack Hermansson got his first chance to fight in front of an American audience at UFC Milwaukee — and made the most of it.
Milwaukee, WI — Jack Hermansson was expecting a “super, super hard, tough” battle with Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Milwaukee. The Swede, a.k.a. ‘The Joker,’ had anticipated a tougher grappling battle with the Milwaukee native. Instead, he pulled off a quick first round submission at the Fiserv Forum on Saturday. And for Hermansson, it was a special win — his first in the promotion on American soil.
“It feels great. It’s awesome to be here. I’ve been looking forward so much to come here to the States, and I had a great week here,” he told reporters backstage following the fight. “I’m really happy to be able to get a first round finish in front of an American audience.”
“I’ve been here before, but it was a long time ago now,” he explained. “So this is my first UFC fight in America. So I’m happy it went this way.”
Hermansson clearly had a positive experience in Milwaukee. “I think they’re awesome here. What’s so cool with America is everybody is very social and open, and it’s very easy to talk to people. It’s a very positive experience coming here.”
On top of that, since the United States is the primary market for the UFC, “I’ve been looking forward for a long time to come here and fight,” Hermansson said.
Hermansson says he’s one of those guys who wants to fight all the time. And he called out Elias Theodorou and Brad Tavares after the fight, in the hopes of getting a shot at a ranked opponent. “Those guys are ranked, they’re good fighters with good records. Well respected. Still I think they’re within my reach,” he explained. “I can call out the champ, but I know it’s not realistic that I’m going to get that fight. But these are two realistic guys to face.” His preference is Tavares, due to his higher ranking. Either, however, would make for a fun fight.
Watch the full post-fight press scrum with Jack Hermansson from UFC Milwaukee above!
