Athletes
Jack Hermansson Wades Into New Waters
Scandinavian Veteran Discusses Welterweight Debut, Chasing Greater Consistency
Thirty-three fights into his professional mixed martial arts career, Jack Hermansson is changing weight classes for the first time, as “The Joker” makes his debut in the welterweight ranks this weekend in an intriguing clash with Myktybek Orolbai on the main card of the UFC’s debut event at ABHA Arena in Doha, Qatar.
Some are bound to draw a direction connection between Hermansson’s last outing and his decision to drop a weight class and believe there is a causal relationship there, but the 37-year-old made clear on Tuesday that this isn’t a response that result as much as him finally changing things up after years of inconsistent results and those around him suggesting a drop to the 170-pound weight class.
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“After a loss like that, you just want to do better, and I feel like I’m 37 years old now, I have some years left in the sport, but I want them to count,” began the thoughtful veteran, who was knocked out by Gregory Rodrigues at UFC 317 in June. “After you lose, you can’t be satisfied with what you’re doing — you need to look for answers and solutions, and I think that’s what I’ve done.
“I’ve never thought about doing it before because I’ve been extremely confident, and I really thought that I could make it as a middleweight. I’ve been doing this for a long time now, and the result has been good, but not good enough, so I started to think, ‘Maybe these people are right.’
Jack Hermansson Fight Week Interview | UFC Qatar
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Jack Hermansson Fight Week Interview | UFC Qatar
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“People have been telling me, ‘Try welterweight’ my whole career, but I said, ‘No, I’m big enough, I’m good enough, I’m strong enough; it shouldn’t be a problem,’” Hermansson continued. “When you can’t perform up to your standards, then you need to look for solutions, and I think that’s what this is. It’s not a desperate move or anything — I’m just looking at myself and seeing, ‘Is there something I can do here?’ I know there are a lot of welterweights that are the same size as me, so maybe it is wise to go down.
“I’m not gonna know if it’s worth it if I don’t try, so let’s see.”
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Hermansson had been a mainstay in the middleweight Top 15 for the majority of his UFC tenure, having cracked the exclusive group during a four-fight winning streak that culminated with a main event victory over longtime contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in the spring of 2019.
But since that fight, the 37-year-old Scandinavian has alternated outcomes each time he’s stepped into the Octagon, with the pattern persisting for 10 fights now. On top of that, looking at the results shows that while he’s thrived against less experienced opposition (Edmen Shahbazyan, Joe Pyfer) and competitors with a history at welterweight (Kelvin Gastelum, Chris Curtis), it has been the bigger, stronger foes that have consistently handed Hermansson losses.
Now he’ll be the more imposing figure inside the cage.
“I think there is a reach advantage, and when it comes to the grappling, he’s not gonna be the bigger, stronger guy,” he said in regard to Orolbai, who is moving back up the scale to welterweight following a pair of catchweight matchups north of the lightweight limit. “He’s still a really good fighter, a good grappler, and I’m sure he’s tough, but he’s not the big guy that he is at lightweight.
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“Obviously, he’s fought at welterweight before, but I don’t think he has fought anybody the same caliber as me, so I think it’s gonna be a rough night for him.”
In addition to the physical advantages and edge in experience that Hermansson brings to the Octagon, he’s also bolstered by the fact that competing in Qatar is a much easier trip than the transatlantic voyages that he so frequently must make for work.
The UFC hasn’t held an event in a Nordic nation since its inaugural appearance in Denmark in September 2019, where Hermansson lost to Jared Cannonier in the main event, and has only ventured to the region seven times in total, with the other six events taking place in Stockholm, Sweden, which last hosted the promotion on June 1, 2019.
While traveling is absolutely part of the job, we tend to overlook how difficult it must be to perpetually be playing an “away game,” as Hermansson does whenever he competes in the United States. The trek to Las Vegas is particularly taxing for the resident of Norway, and even though he also decamps for his fight destination early, the acclimation process is difficult and results in the final week of training often being suboptimal.
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“When it comes to the jetlag, it’s never easy when it comes to the States, especially in Vegas; it’s a nine-hour time difference,” explained Hermansson, who has gone undefeated in four previous appearances in the Middle East, including a first-round submission win over Gastelum in his lone UFC bout in the region thus far. “Last week I had great training, and if I would have travelled to the States, that week would have sucked.
“It’s a big difference, so I think to be fighting closer to home is definitely an advantage that I envy the American fighters for since most of the cards are there,” he added. “But this is good enough. It’s only a two-hour time difference from home, so I’m super-happy with that.
“Let’s continue this Middle Eastern winning streak!”
Despite being on the business end of one of the most dramatic knockouts of the year in June, there is an excited energy to Hermansson this week as he readies to make his welterweight debut, and a part of that is because, for the first time in several years, he’s making a relatively quick return to action.
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“I’m so happy with that,” he said gleefully when asked about making his second start of 2025, which will be the first year since 2022 where he’s competed more than once and just the second time since he made a pair of appearances in 2020. “The body has been pretty good lately, so I’m really hoping to keep this going. I’m looking forward to being a more active fighter.
“It never was my wish to have long breaks,” added Hermansson, who has been slowed by injuries, including persistent back issues, throughout the last few years. “If I could choose, I would fight six times a year, so let’s hope I can keep this going. I’m really looking forward to getting back in there.”
Healthy, active, and trying something different for the first time in his 15-year career, this weekend is giving “next chapter” vibes for the talented veteran, who is eager to start gathering data on the impact of his divisional switch and eventually break from his “win one, lose one pattern,” though not quite yet.
“It's been different and it’s been a process, but I think I’ve learned a lot during this process,” he said of preparing to compete at welterweight. “It’s been going alright — I’m confident I’m gonna make the weight — but I think I’m gonna be able to do it even better in the future. The first time you do something, you always learn from it. I think there are things I could have done better, but still good.
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“After the fight is when I’m gonna know, when I’m gonna look back and see ‘Was this the right decision or not? Am I gonna continue to do this or am I going back up?’ We’ll see.
“One more weekend and then we’re changing,” he added with a laugh when asked about sticking to the pattern just a little longer. “It's gonna feel amazing (to earn this victory); I can’t wait. To get my hand raised and travel home with a win to start this new part of my career as a welterweight is gonna be amazing.”
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