UFC Fight Night 200: Sweden's Jack Hermansson out to prove point against Sean Strickland

Swedish fighter Jack Hermansson is looking to fire himself into title contention with an early finish against Sean Strickland at UFC Fight Night 200 this Saturday.

Hermansson, 33, sits sixth in the UFC's middleweight rankings, with Strickland a place below him. With Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier ahead of him in the rankings and set to fight next week, Hermansson is eager to prove a point.

«Brunson and Cannonier better bring it because if not I'm just going to skip the line with a great finish,» he said.

«There are so many scenarios that can propel me up into a title fight and, if not, I'm probably just one fight from that anyway. I feel like a win over Sean definitely puts me into title contention.

»[Strickland is] going to try to get me into his boxing game. That's where he excels and what he likes to do. I'm going to be doing everything else — I'm going to hit and move and hit him without getting hit and just be unpredictable."

Hermansson has struggled for consistency in his past four fights, losing two and winning two, while Strickland is riding a five-fight winning streak.

Strickland, 30, is the favourite for the contest. «I was surprised, of course — I guess somebody is going to make good money betting on me so it's all good,» Hermansson quipped.

«He's absolutely not the best grappler. He's not even the best striker. Definitely not the best MMA fighter and that's what I'm looking to prove on Saturday.»

Strickland is yet to be taken down since his return to middleweight in 2020. UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was the last man to take him down, five years ago. Like Usman, Hermansson comes from a strong wrestling background.

«I will be showing everybody that I have something special,» Hermansson said.

«I will be