Jack Hermansson says he’s the hardest matchup for Israel Adesanya at 185lbs: “His bottom game is definitely not the best”

Jack Hermansson says he’s the hardest matchup for UFC champion Israel Adesanya at 185lbs, saying “His bottom game is definitely not the best.”

Hermansson returns to the Octagon next Saturday at UFC 262 against Edmen Shahbazyan in a fight between two top-15 middleweights coming off of tough losses. Hermansson dropped a decision to Marvin Vettori back in December, and Vettori is now fighting for the belt. As for Shahbazyan, he lost to top contender Derek Brunson the last time we saw him. This matchup next weekend at UFC 262 is an important one for both men in the stacked UFC middleweight division, especially if they continue to have title aspirations at 185lbs.

Returning to the UFC middleweight division is the champion Adesanya, who takes on Vettori at UFC 263 in June. After a failed bid to capture the UFC light heavyweight title where he was outgrappled by Blachowicz, there is now a clear game plan to defeat him. For a grappler like Hermansson, seeing Blachowicz exploit Adesanya’s bottom game was key.

Speaking to LowKickMMA.com, Hermansson said that he saw holes in Adesanya’s game against Blachowicz and believes he’s the man who is the toughest test for him at 185lbs.

“I’m probably the hardest matchup for him out there. Blachowicz showed some weaknesses in his game, his bottom game is definitely not the best. If I can get on top of him, he’s in big trouble. I’m the hardest matchup in the division for him,” Hermansson said.

There is no doubt Hermansson possesses a dangerous ground game as we saw him submit Kelvin Gastelum with a heel hook last summer on Fight Island. If he was to get Adesanya to the ground, the fight would definitely be interesting. But before he can even think about getting a title shot, Hermansson needs to get by Shahbazyan at UFC 262 first.

Do you agree with Jack Hermansson that he is the most difficult matchup for Israel Adesanya at 185lbs?