Saturday’s UFC Fight Night marks the third consecutive event headlined by a crucial middleweight matchup when burgeoning star Joe Pyfer faces seasoned veteran Jack Hermansson in a scheduled five-rounder at the UFC Apex.
Pyfer described himself to Aaron Bronsteter earlier this week as “a trending superstar” and with another statement win, this time over a ranked opponent, there will be zero denying his place in the spotlight at 185 pounds.
The 27-year-old has made a name for himself thanks to his finishing prowess, plus a nice marketing push from the organization, but make no mistake the attention is fully warranted according to the fighter.
“I deserve the fast track. I have a story, I have the charisma, I know how to speak and I’m an absolute freakin’ unit,” Pyfer said with a chuckle.
Pyfer has been en fuego ever since returning from a significant elbow dislocation sustained during his first go-around on Dana White’s Contender Series that kept him out of action for 16 months.
Four knockouts and one arm-triangle later and Pyfer finds himself with growing popularity on the verge of entering the top 15 at 185 pounds; Hermansson is currently the No. 11-ranked contender in the division.
He may have a reputation as a power puncher – proven KO power in both hands will tend to do that – yet Pyfer is no one-trick pony. He’s coming off a submission win over Abdul Razak Alhassan in October and has grappling wins over Gerald Meerschaert (who also lost to Pyfer by TKO at UFC 287) and fellow UFC middleweights Eryk Anders at Fury Pro Grappling events within the past 14 months.
Pyfer, who trains out of Marquez MMA in Philadelphia, averages 2.97 takedowns per 15 minutes of cage time, keeping in mind Pyfer’s fights last on average just 5:03.
“I can grapple and I think that’s being sorely underestimated in this fight. It’s going to be great,” Pyfer explained.
Out-grappling someone like Hermansson would be a nice feather in Pyfer’s cap. Hermansson holds three submission wins during his UFC career and all came over jiu-jitsu black belts.
Hermansson moves with an unconventional rhythm and Pyfer must be focussed if they do clinch up. Hermansson can inflict damaging ground-and-pound strikes if he gains a dominant position, not to mention his threatening submissions.
The 35-year-old from Sweden has alternated wins and losses over the past four years and hasn’t fought since 2022 when he suffered a brutal TKO loss to Roman Dolidze. Hermansson had a bout with Brendan Allen scheduled for this past June, however he withdrew with neck and back injuries.
Pyfer says he feels he hasn’t even hit 70 per cent of what he’s capable of. He hasn’t need to connect on more than 26 significant strikes in any of his UFC bouts and hasn’t seen a third round when competing at 185. The lone decision of Pyfer's MMA career took place at a 190-pound catchweight in his second pro bout.
Hermansson lands just 1.66 takedowns per 15 minutes but is the busier striker, landing 5.13 significant strikes per minute compared to Pyfer’s 3.64. Hermansson has gone the distance in 25-minute bouts thrice in his UFC career. He beat Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (unanimous) and lost to both Marvin Vettori (unanimous) and Sean Strickland (split).
If Hermansson avoids Pyfer’s early power, can the more experienced fighter used his cardio to win rounds and keep his opponent on the defensive?
UNDERCARD OVERVIEW
Who else is eyeballing the 185-pound rankings? There are three additional middleweight matchups on main card with Brad Tavares vs. Gregory Rodrigues, Robert Bryczek vs. Ihor Potieria and Rodolfo Vieira vs. Armen Petrosyan. All six fighters will be looking for victories that will potentially land them a tilt with a ranked fighter. Rodrigues is a highlight factory and Tavares has been in there with the best, so that one should be rocking. The most interesting of the names above is perhaps Poland’s Bryczek who’s set to make his UFC debut riding a streak of five consecutive first-round knockout wins.
Can Ige defend his spot? The co-main event features featherweights Dan Ige and Andre Fili. Both have been hit or miss in recent years but keep in mind Ige has had a more difficult strength of schedule. Fili is looking to build off the momentum he gained from a stoppage win over Lucas Almeida at UFC 296, while the No. 13-ranked Ige is aiming to avoid his second multi-fight losing streak since 2022. Ige’s original opponent, Lerone Murphy, pulled out of the event in January so Fili stepped up on short notice.
Below is a look at the projected fight card as of Thursday.
MAIN CARD
-- Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer
-- Dan Ige vs. Andre Fili
-- Robert Bryczek vs. Ihor Potieria
-- Brad Tavares vs. Gregory Rodrigues
-- Michael Johnson vs. Darrius Flowers
-- Rodolfo Vieira vs. Armen Petrosyan
PRELIMINARY CARD
-- Trevin Giles vs. Carlos Prates
-- Timothy Cuamba vs. Bolaji Oki
-- Loma Lookboonmee vs. Bruna Brasil
-- Devin Clark vs. Marcin Prachnio
-- Max Griffin vs. Jeremiah Wells
-- Zac Pauga vs. Bogdan Guskov
-- Fernie Garcia vs. Hyder Amil
-- Daniel Marcos vs. Aori Qileng
