Jack Hermansson details the reason for his 16-month layoff ahead return at UFC 317

Jack Hermansson will finally make his return to the Octagon at UFC 317 at the end of June.

Hermansson last fought in February of 2024 when he beat Joe Pyfer by decision in a five-round main event. After that fight, Hermansson suffered some injuries that forced him to be on the sidelines and not be able to fight.

“It’s been my body, it’s been troublesome,” Hermansson said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I’ve been having injuries, I haven’t been able to train. Then, slowly making my way back with rehabilitation, very slowly, and upping the training. Finally, I feel like I am at the point where I am able to book a fight… It was like a month ago when I really thought I could push hard and things were working better, and I could increase my volume. About a month ago, I think we started to talk to my management about looking for a fight. A couple of weeks ago, we started to work on this fight.”

During the time off, as it got past a year, Hermansson admitted at times he didn’t know if he was going to be able to fight again. But, after his body started to get healthier, he is confident he still has plenty of years left in his career.

“It’s tricky because you never know how your body is going to heal up. I’ve been pretty sure that I was going to come back, but I had days where I had my doubts. At the moment, I feel really good,” Hermansson said. “Right now, I feel like I have many years left.”

Jack Hermansson used time off to try and get MMA legalized in Norway

Along with getting his body right, Jack Hermansson was also using the time off to try and push the Norwegian government to get MMA legalized.

Hermansson wants to fight in Norway at home, but for the time being, the sport is still banned. The middleweight contender says it’s still a standstill and isn’t sure if it will ever be legalized.

“No, nothing is happening. It’s a standstill. I’m trying to raise my voice, but it’s not enough,” Hermansson said. “We need people who are really trying to put in some work and sacrifice some time in their lives to push this through. Right now, I don’t think we have these people in Norway who want to put in the effort to push it through. I’m still an active fighter and using my time for that. But, I hope we can make it happen.”

For now, Hermansson has turned his attention back to himself and being in fight camp for his return at UFC 317.