Jack Hermansson has not been bothered by all the changes thrown at him leading to UFC Vegas 16 tonight, particularly since he believes his new opponent is easier to prepare for than the others.
When a new main event is put together on short notice, often it is the fighter who is stepping up as the replacement who receives all the praise for courageously fighting with less preparation and saving the card. However, much of the same can be said for the fighter who had the opponent switch. Not only did they also save the card by accepting the short-notice replacement, but they have to make swift preparations for the stylistic differences. In the case of Jack Hermansson, his previously booked opponents for this event, Darren Till and Kevin Holland, both presented different challenges than Marvin Vettori does. And frankly, Hermansson found those challenges to be easier to prepare for.
“We had a very specific gameplan for Darren Till,” Hermansson told MMA Junkie. “Then not that specific for Kevin Holland, and now, maybe a little bit more specific again, so that’s the approach. It’s because Darren Till, obviously we had a lot of time to prepare. Kevin Holland, he has some key techniques that he uses, but he’s also really unpredictable, so I felt like I needed to be a bit more open-minded and read the situation. In this one, I feel like Marvin is pretty much the same in his fights. He has a certain style, so it’s a little bit easier to prepare for.”
The names may have changed, but the one constant in this equation has been Jack Hermansson’s mindset. It didn’t matter whom the company put in front of him tonight, Hermansson was going to show up with the urgent intent to win as if everything depended on it.
“I’m just as focused,” Hermansson said. “Every fight is just as important, even if it is a big fight or an opponent that is not ranked. The win is always super important to take you one step forward in your career, and a loss can be one step back, so I feel super motivated, and I feel like the training that I put into this camp has been really, really good, and I feel like I’m a better fighter right now and that I want to show the world that I’m at the next level and ready for the title.”
What do you make of Jack Hermansson believing Marvin Vettori was easier to prepare for than his previously scheduled opponents for UFC Vegas 16?
