Dana White’s Contender Series grad Joe Pyfer returns to the Octagon on Saturday, February 10, this time in his first UFC main event against Jack Hermansson inside the APEX in Las Vegas.
Pyfer burst onto the scene in July 2022, when he scored a second-round knockout victory on week one of DWCS Season 6. That performance not only earned him a spot in the UFC, but set an example for what UFC President Dana White wanted to see from fighters the rest of the season.
“If you want to get into the UFC and this is where you want to be, act like Joe Pyfer, be Joe Pyfer,” White said.
Pyfer has kept the ball rolling ever since. In his UFC debut, it took “Bodybagz” less than four minutes to put away Alen Amedovski. Pyfer got the job done even quicker his second time out, knocking out veteran Gerald Meerschaert in just over three minutes.
What fans learned very quickly in those fights is Pyfer has tremendous power; he records 1.05 knockdowns per 15 minutes, which is well above the UFC average of 0.31. Not only does he deal damage at an alarming rate, Pyfer’s very defensively sound. He absorbs just 2.25 significant strikes per minute in the UFC, which is 35 percent lower than the UFC average of 3.46.
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While Pyfer couldn’t finish his third and most recent UFC fight in the first round, he showed he has more than just power in his hands. In October, Pyfer secured his third submission victory of his professional career against Abdul Razak Alhassan, who had previously never been submitted in his 12-fight UFC career.
His three-fight finish streak is currently the third longest streak among active middleweights, behind only Brendan Allen and Roman Kopylov, who are tied with four straight finishes. Pyfer’s earned two Performance of the Night bonuses in that span.
Those wins earned Pyfer his first shot at an opponent in the rankings. This Saturday, Pyfer faces the No. 10 ranked Hermansson, a 16-fight UFC veteran who’s fought the likes of Jared Cannonier, “Jacare” Souza and former middleweight champion Sean Strickland. His 10 UFC wins are tied for the fifth most among active 185ers. Hermansson has finished six of those opponents, which is the fourth most among active middleweights. His fastest finish, a 49-second submission of David Branch, is the fifth most in the division’s history.
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While Hermansson has proven time and again that he can take opponents down and hold them there while he hunts for submissions, his striking can be just as effective. To date, Hermansson’s landed 878 significant strikes, which is the seventh most in middleweight history. In February of 2022, Hermansson landed 64 significant strikes to the body against Strickland, the most ever connected in a middleweight fight. He also landed 51 leg kicks against the former champion, which is the third most ever for a 185er. Keep in mind, this is the same Strickland who dethroned Israel Adesanya, one of the best strikers of all-time.
Hermansson’s most devastating striking performance came a few years earlier against Souza. Not only did “The Joker” rack up nearly seven minutes of control time, but he also landed 256 total strikes, the fourth most ever in a middleweight fight.
When looking at these two side-by-side, the one glaring difference appears to be their strength and power. While Pyfer can put you to sleep or slam you to the ground, Hermansson will wear you down with volume. Through 16 UFC fights, Hermansson has yet to knock down an opponent, but he lands 5.13 strikes per minute, which is well above the UFC average of 3.46 strikes.
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One thing to keep in mind is that this is a five-round fight, something Pyfer is not used to. Since he finishes fights so quickly, it’s tough to predict how well his cardio and power would hold if this fight reached the fourth and fifth rounds. On the other hand, this will be Hermansson’s fifth time closing out the card. Of his four previous main events, “The Joker” reached the scorecards three times.
And if someone’s going to take this fight to the mat, it’s safe to assume it’ll be Pyfer; “Bodybagz” averages twice as many takedown attempts per 15 minutes than Hermansson, securing 75 percent of those attempts. One of the more impressive statistics between either of these two fighters, however, is Hermansson’s 75 percent takedown defense.
Like all great main events, this fight is incredibly difficult to predict, as both boast impressive statistics across the board. Before it gets to the main event, UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer features a co-main event clash between hard-hitting featherweights Dan Ige and Andre Fili, and Brad Tavares squares off against Gregory Rodrigues in a battle between two middleweights eager to crack the Top 15.
UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 10, 2024. See the Final Main Card & Prelim Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
