Jack Hermansson is certain that Nassourdine Imavov is the perfect match for him after defeating Joe Pyfer at UFC Fight Night 236.
Hermansson made a successful octagon return after more than a year of inactivity. The main event success not only brought the veteran back to the winning column but also helped him regain respect after serving as the bout’s underdog in the betting odds. Nonetheless, “The Joker” knows that a win over Pyfer won’t bring him up the ranking.
“He didn’t have a ranking, and I feel like he had more exposure than I did for this fight, but I understand why,” Hermansson said during the UFC Fight Night 236 post-fight press conference. “He has an amazing story, he’s coming through the contender series, and he has a lot of eyes on him. He should get the shot like this, but then you also need to perform to take it to the next level, and I was not going to be that stepping stone.”
As such, the Swedish-Norwegian named Imavov as his next target. Prior to his fight against Pyfer, the 35-year-old had already mentioned the No. 8 middleweight but was rather uncertain about his plans moving forward. Nonetheless, Hermansson confirmed the choice this time, sharing his certainty about the choice.
“I just watched the rankings, and I fought a lot of guys up there, and I obviously can’t fight an unranked opponent and go directly to the top, so I need to fight someone close to me in the rankings,” Hermansson said. “I think he makes the most sense at the moment.”
Defeating Imavov would give Hermansson not only the boost he needs in the ranking but also a satisfying victory. To recall, prior to his long layoff, Hermansson lost his last fight to Roman Dolidze via TKO in December 2022. The Georgian fighter extended his win when he defeated Marvin Vettori last March but later lost to Imavov this month.
