Jack Hermansson proved he is a middleweight contender to watch with a first-minute submission of David Branch in the UFC Philadelphia main event.
Jack Hermansson went on an eight-fight run in Europe to earn a spot in the UFC. “The Joker” defended the Cage Warriors middleweight belt twice on that run. The Swedish middleweight has been active since signing with the promotion in 2016, going 5-2 with stoppages in his last four victories (winning his last two fights). His losses have come to Brazilian standouts Thiago Santos and Cezar Ferreira.
David Branch was a member of the UFC roster way back in 2010 and 2011. After a 2-2 stint, Branch fought elsewhere and excelled. The New Yorker went 10-0 in WSOF, ending his run there as both their light heavyweight and middleweight champion. He defended both belts twice before re-joining the UFC in 2017. Branch is 2-2 in his current stint, with a knockout victory against current light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos.
Round one started fast, Jack Hermansson started out throwing quick hands. He then got a nice foot sweep and looked for the guillotine as Branch tried to get up, and he got the choke in deep. Branch tried to get out, but couldn’t. In under a minute, Jack Hermansson secured himself a top-15 ranking in the middleweight division. A three-fight win streak and a submission of this magnitude against a well-respected opponent like Branch all but guarantees that there will be a number next to Hermansson’s name next week.
Submission!@JackTheJokerMMA gets the first round arm-in guillotine finish! Wow! #UFCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/tXdd1L60kQ
— UFC (@ufc) March 31, 2019
Jack Hermansson def. David Branch by Submission (Guillotine) in Round 1 (0:49)
