Jack Hermansson still wants Derek Brunson after their matchup fell through at UFC on ESPN 42.
After Brunson pulled out due to injury, Hermansson (23-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) drew Roman Dolidze (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for Saturday’s event at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
If Hermansson gets past Dolidze, he hopes to get matched up with a ranked opponent next and said it might as well be Brunson.
“Derek is still there, so maybe that will be a good fight next, so we will see,” Hermansson told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 42 media day.
Hermansson has seen numerous opponent switches in the past couple of years, which has become frustrating as he looks to make a title run at middleweight. At least this time, with both Brunson and Dolidze being southpaws, he didn’t have to make as many changes.
“It keeps on happening, and I don’t know if it’s the fourth or fifth time in the UFC that I get a short-notice replacement, so bad luck,” Hermansson said.
He continued, “Both are southpaws, so that’s good, but I would say they’re quite a bit different actually. Derek’s game is more wrestling heavy, Roman’s striking is very powerful. Roman is tougher from the bottom, as well, so there’s a few differences.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.
