Two middleweights clawing their way up the ranks will meet when Jack Hermansson and Sean Strickland go to work in a UFC headliner scheduled for February 5.
Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland is nearly finalized as ESPN’s Brett Okamoto revealed that contracts will be signed shortly. The two combatants are both coming off wins, however, “Tarzan” is entering the contest with a monster 5-fight winning streak.
Jack Hermansson (@jackthejokermma) vs. Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 5, per sources. Contracts should be signed shortly. UFC’s 2022 first quarter main events are filling up. pic.twitter.com/1kZIFARGo9
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 3, 2021
“Jack Hermansson (@jackthejokermma) vs. Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 5, per sources. Contracts should be signed shortly. UFC’s 2022 first quarter main events are filling up.” Okamoto shared on Friday.
A Look At Sean Strickland & Jack Hermansson
Strickland returned against Uriah Hall in July. The violent pace of Strickland carried him into a 5-round unanimous decision victory. Hermansson and Strickland hover next to each other in the rankings. The #7-ranked Strickland is looking to steal Hermansson’s #6-ranking.
Unbeaten since 2018, Strickland may appear to be a mad man outside of the cage, but his manic personality translates well within the eight corners of the octagon. During his run up the middleweight ladder, the American amassed notable victories against Brendan Allen (TKO punches), and Krzysztof Jotko who is one of the more underrated middleweights on the roster.
Jack Hermansson is one of the most exciting middleweights in the stable because his style can be so unpredictable. The Swede was able to catch Kelvin Gastelum with a heel hook and got the job done in under 2-minutes. Hermansson’s striking ability has steadily evolved during his time in the UFC.
However, there are still areas that need improvement and he learned as much after losing a unanimous decision to Marvin Vetorri back in Dec. of 2020. Applying what he learned, Hermansson redeemed himself with a commanding decision win against Edmen Shahbazyan.
Despite Hermansson’s checkered UFC run, it’s deceptive and he represents a stiff test at middleweight for anyone. Well-rounded, and a submission game, dual threats always demand some degree of respect.
With the addition of the middleweight match-up between Sean Strickland and Jack Hermansson, here is an updated lineup for the UFC event scheduled for Feb. 5.
- Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland
- Punahele Soriano vs. Nick Maximov
- Marc Barriault vs. Chidi Njokuani
- Jason Witt vs. Philip Rowe
- Danilo Marques vs. Jailton Almeida
- Miles Johns vs. John Castañeda
- Julian Erosa vs. Steven Peterson
- Hakeem Dawodu vs. Mike Trizano
- Ian Heinisch vs. Sam Alvey
- Bryan Battle vs. Tresean Gore
- Malcolm Gordon vs. Denys Bondar
- Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Carlston Harris
