Jack Hermansson brought the momentum of Chris Curtis to an end with a convincing victory in the UFC Fight Night 208 co-headliner.
Hermansson (23-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) bounced back from a February loss to Sean Strickland on Saturday as he managed to outstrike Curtis (29-9 MMA, 3-1 UFC) over the course of three rounds for a unanimous decision win by scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.
The middleweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 208 co-main event at The O2 in London.
Oh myyyyyyyyyyy 👀 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/Rbz9ip0DOV
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 23, 2022
The first round was largely a feeling out process. Both fighters struggled to find the range on the feet, and Hermansson’s couldn’t secure the proper timing on takedowns.
There was some frustration on both sides at the stalemate going into the second frame, but each remained patient. With roughly two minutes remaining in the round, Hermansson landed a punch that staggered Curtis and backed him up against the fence. Hermansson flurried with punches and elbows, but Curtis covered up well and regained his wits before the end of the round.
With Curtis’ corner imploring him to chase the finish going into the final round, Hermansson was the one who came out with high aggression as he kicked the body and landed counter punches. Curtis couldn’t make his big moment happened, and Hermansson cruised to the win.
“I’m sorry to the fans about the fight,” Hermansson said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I was supposed to fight Darren Till, and I got Chris on short notice and I needed to secure the win. Sorry guys.”
Curtis, for his part, lost in the UFC for the first time, and he was not happy about it.
Chris Curtis flips off Jack Hermansson on his way out of the octagon. #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/LY9PbkE7NK
— Farah Hannoun (@Farah_Hannoun) July 23, 2022
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 208 results include:
- Jack Hermansson def. Chris Curtis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Paddy Pimblett def. Jordan Leavitt via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:46
- Nikita Krylov def. Alexander Gustafsson knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:07
- Molly McCann def. Hannah Goldy via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:52
- Volkan Oezdemir def. Paul Craig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ludovit Klein def. Mason Jones via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Marc Diakiese def. Damir Hadzovic via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Nathaniel Wood def. Charles Rosa via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Jonathan Pearce def. Makwan Amirkhani via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:10
- Muhammad Mokaev def. Charles Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jai Herbert def. Kyle Nelson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Victoria Leonardo def. Mandy Bohm via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Nicolas Dalby def. Claudio Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
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