Longtime middleweight contender Jack Hermansson took the best Joe Pyfer had to offer, then outran him down the stretch to claim a unanimous decision victory at UFC Vegas 86.
The pair faced off in a middleweight main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and after two rounds it looked like Pyfer was well in control.
The American – whose rise through adversity to earn a UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series earned him plenty of fans, and a fair amount of deserved hype – looked every bit the hot prospect as he connected with fast, powerful punches on 11th-ranked Hermansson through a superb opening round.
Pyfer delivered more of the same through Round 2, but in the closing stages of the second stanza, Hermansson visibly started to get a foothold in the matchup. Pyfer’s corner saw it, and warned their man not to let the former Cage Warriors champion get comfortable in the bout.
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But, as the third round played out, it became clear that the momentum was swinging towards Hermansson. His jab was finding its mark with regularity, and his calf kicks started to mount up and cause Pyfer some issues. A big punch landed clean to Pyfer’s right eye, forcing him to retreat backward as referee Mark Smith correctly called that it was a legal strike. It might not have been a fight-altering strike, but the moment seemed to underline Hermansson’s ascension as he took the round.
With the two extra rounds still to go, Hermansson was down two rounds to one, but seemingly with all of the momentum on his side. Pyfer attempted to land something big at the start of both of the final two rounds, but Hermansson covered up well, and answered back with cleaner and more accurate, if not always heavier, shots.
Even Pyfer’s attempts to take Hermansson to the mat were stuffed, as “The Joker” fended off multiple takedown attempts against the cage before gaining separation. And when Hermansson scored a perfectly-timed takedown of his own early in the final round – with his first attempt of the fight – the writing seemed to be on the wall for Pyfer, as Hermansson dominated from top position en route to the final horn.
All three judges scored it the same, with Hermansson earning a unanimous decision with scores of 48-47 across the board. It gave Pyfer his first loss in the UFC, but also showed what he needed to tweak in his own game to bridge the cap from hot prospect to potential top 10 status. Hermansson, meanwhile, called for the legalisation of MMA in his birthplace Norway, asked for a UFC event to return to his home of Sweden, and called for his next bout to be against fellow European contender Nassourdine Imavov, who picked up a key victory at the UFC Apex a week earlier, against Roman Dolidze.
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Ige starches former training partner, claims Performance of the Night bonus
The co-main event saw friends and former training partners go toe to toe, with one man delivering a spectacular knockout to end the night early.
That man was Dan Ige, who calmly bided his time while Andre Fili probed and searched for an opening, then struck with a stunning one-shot knockout to leave Fili out cold on the canvas at the 2:43 mark of the opening round. It was as vicious as it was sudden, and it showed that Ige’s punch power is not to be trifled with, as “50k” claimed his third clean KO victory from his last four victories.
Ige’s finish unsurprisingly won him a Performance of the Night bonus, but more importantly it bounced him back into the win column following his decision loss to Bryce Mitchell last September. Now the 32-year-old will retrain his sights on those above him in the UFC’s featherweight rankings as he bids to break back into the division’s top 10.
UFC Vegas 86: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Jack Hermansson def. Joe Pyfer via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
- Dan Ige def. Andre Fili via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:43
- Ihor Potieria def. Robert Bryczek via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Gregory Rodrigues def. Brad Tavares via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:55
- Michael Johnson def. Darrius Flowers via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Rodolfo Vieira def. Armen Petrosyan via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:48
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Carlos Prates def. Trevin Giles via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 4:03
- Bolaji Oki def. Timothy Cuamba via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Loma Lookboonmee def. Bruna Brasi via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Marcin Prachnio def. Devin Clark via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Max Griffin def. Jeremiah Wells via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Bodgan Guskov def. Zac Pauga via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:38
- Hyder Amil def. Fernie Garcia via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:12
- Daniel Marcos vs. Aori Qileng ruled a no contest (accidental groin strike) – Round 2, 3:28
