Jack Hermansson asked for Kelvin Gastelum fight, eyes future matchups with Till and Adesanya

When Jack Hermansson lost his fight against Chris Weidman due to COVID-19, he was distraught. Yet, that ended quickly when the UFC offered him a scrap against Kelvin Gastelum.

Even before the Weidman fight was booked, Hermansson and Gastelum were calling each other out on Twitter. After that, they went to the UFC to make the fight which is what happened as the two will be the co-main event on July 18.

“Man, when I lost that fight and I knew I wasn’t going to the fight then, I was a little bit sad. But, then I heard about Fight Island and the fight with Gastelum, it is something better actually,” Hermansson said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “Gastelum is the opponent that I really want to fight. I’m happy with the switch of opponents. We actually pushed for the fight with the UFC. I really wanted the Gastelum fight and fortunately, they accepted it and the UFC made it. It is perfect.”

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Why Hermansson wanted the fight against Kelvin Gastelum was simple. He believes it is a good matchup for him, and a big-name opponent to add to his record.

“Gastelum is right now ranked close to me. Since all the guys above me are booked or not available, the guy right behind me in Gastelum is the perfect fight to make,” he explained. “He has basically fought everybody. It is a good fight and makes sense for both of us. It will be exciting for the fans.”

Entering this fight, many believe Hermansson will have the advantage on the ground, while on the feet, Gastelum is the better striker. Yet, for the Swede-Norweigan fighter, he knows he can’t just focus on taking the fight to the ground because he will get knocked out.

Yet, for Jack Hermansson, he is confident in his skill set to get his hand raised whether it is by stoppage or decision.

“It would be great if I could do that. At the same time, I learned something in the last fight that I can’t lock into that. It will be to easy for the opponent to read and they will time it when I shoot in. It’s important that I just don’t wrestle, I need to use all my tools,” he explained. “It’s going to be interesting. I will try and mix it up and will do everything I can, stand up, clinch, wrestling. We are going to see if Kelvin wants to do all that. His strength is boxing, and his most dangerous weapons. It is going to be interesting to see who will force their fight.”

If Hermansson does get his hand raised, he wants a quick turnaround and work his way up to a title shot. He knows he will be only one or two wins away. He already has his eye on future matchups with Darren Till and Israel Adesanya as he believes the lead up would be entertaining.

“I would love to fight Darren Till and Adesanya is a guy I want to fight. I feel like I match up well with them and they are entertaining guys, funny guys, well-spoken. It would be cool to be around them in a fight,” he concluded.

Do you think Jack Hermansson will be able to beat Kelvin Gastelum?