Jack Hermansson is confident that few fighters can hang with him on the mat.
With an injury forcing Darren Till out of their UFC Fight Night main event on Dec. 5, Hermansson now is set to face the streaking Kevin Holland. Hermansson (21-5 MMA, 8-3 MMA) has six submission wins on his resume, with his most recent ones coming against jiu-jitsu black belts Gerald Meerschaert, David Branch and Kelvin Gastelum, all in the first round.
While he rates Holland’s skills highly, Hermansson thinks it’ll be a quick night if the two hit the mat, and he’s ready to remind everyone of the diversity in his game.
“He looks pretty technical, but at the same time, I gave a lot of black belts trouble, and I really, really believe in my skills, and I know that if I get him to the ground, he’s gonna have a rough day for sure,” Hermansson told MMA Junkie. “… I’m gonna go in there, I’m gonna go after him, and it’s gonna be a first-round finish. Probably ground and pound again, good ol’ ground and pound. I’m gonna remind the world what I can bring to the table. People have been watching some of my submission skills lately. It’s time to get those fists into action again.”
Hermansson understands that facing unranked Holland (20-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) is a high risk-low reward situation, but he insists on remaining active as he continues his campaign for a title shot.
“I’m really looking to make a statement and to show that I’m on the next level, and so that’s definitely my plan,” Hermansson said. “A loss would be devastating of course, but I’m willing to take that chance. I really believe I can be the best in the world and that I can beat Israel Adesanya, and to be ready to do that, I need to be ready to beat Kevin Holland, as well, so I’m not relying on having one lucky day out there. If I’m gonna be the champ, I’m gonna be the one that can beat everybody in the division.”