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Jack Hermansson

“The Joker”

Source: ufc.com

A Swedish wrestler who built his MMA career at Frontline in Oslo and submitted jiu-jitsu black belt David Branch in 49 seconds in the UFC.

Biography

Jack Hermansson is a Swedish mixed martial artist, born in Uddevalla in 1988, who built his fighting career in Oslo at Frontline Academy. A wrestler first, he submitted David Branch, a Renzo Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt, in 49 seconds in the UFC in March 2019, using a guillotine that Frontline's jiu-jitsu coach had shown him years earlier. Wrestling in Uddevalla Hermansson has written that of all the sports he tried as a boy in Uddevalla, wrestling was the only one he really loved. He started with Greco-Roman wrestling at about nine and stayed with the local club, Uddevalla Atletklubb, for ten years; he has described the club as something close to a family. He has also said that he wanted to do martial arts from early childhood and practiced moves taken from books and Bruce Lee films before he found MMA on the internet around 2006. Many observers saw him as a striker, but before the Branch fight MMA Viking pointed out that he had several hundred wrestling matches behind him. He said then that wrestling had once been the strongest part of his game but that the rest of his skills had since caught up with it. From Sweden to Oslo He began some Muay Thai and MMA training at a gym in Uddevalla at about 18, and he dates the start of his MMA training to 2008. Like many young Swedes, he moved west to Norway looking for work. He found a job as a substitute teacher outside Oslo and trained first with Ståle Nyang in Lørenskog, then with Mohsen Bahari at Frontline Academy, who introduced him to Joachim Hansen and his Team Hellboy. Hansen was one of Hermansson's idols, and he has named him among his heroes alongside Alexander Gustafsson and Bruce Lee. A short return to Uddevalla ended without a job, and he went back to Oslo to work in a pet shop. When Team Hellboy later moved its training to Frontline Academy, some members left for other gyms or opened their own; Hermansson stayed with the Frontline pro team, the team he says he represents whenever he fights. He has written that he represents both Sweden, the country he was born in, and Norway, where he made his home and his career, and that he identifies with Swedes and Norwegians alike. The jiu-jitsu room at Frontline Recommending the academy to other fighters in 2013, Hermansson pointed to its many Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts and to separate classes in MMA, jiu-jitsu and Thai boxing at levels from beginner to professional. The academy's head coach at the time, Eduardo "Teta" Rios, had received all of his belts from Ricardo Libório and followed him to the Carlson Gracie Academy and later to Libório's own gym. By 2019 Hermansson's own website listed Rios as his jiu-jitsu and MMA coach, with Bahari as his MMA coach. In a 2019 interview with Nettavisen, Hermansson traced his guillotine back to Rios. As he remembered it, Rios showed him a version of the choke in what was probably their first grappling session together. Years went by before Hermansson tried it himself. Once it started working in training, he kept going back to it until he trusted it enough to use it in a fight. MMA media have given his variation its own name, the "Jokertine", combining the choke with his nickname, "The Joker", which he says came from always having a smile on his face. He has also tested his grappling without strikes. In March 2016, while he held the Cage Warriors middleweight title, he took a superfight at the second Oslo Submission Series, a submission-only event run under EBI rules at Chateau Neuf in Oslo, and beat the Norwegian black belt Christopher Hermanstad with an armbar in overtime. In November 2021 he wrestled fellow UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of Bulldog Fight Night 9 in Gothenburg, a match Chimaev won clearly. Asked by the UFC for his favorite grappling technique, Hermansson named the heel hook. Titles in Europe His professional career began in 2010 with an East Coast Fight Factory title fight against the champion, Chris Greig. He recalls that Joachim Hansen told him about the bout, and he stopped Greig in the third round. He signed with Bellator in 2012 and lost both of his fights there, the first on a split decision to Daniel Vizcaya and the second to a triangle choke from Jason Butcher; by his own account he had been too eager after scoring a takedown. Back on the European circuit, he won the vacant Cage Warriors middleweight title in June 2014, submitting Norman Paraisy in round four with a rear-naked choke. His first defense came against Deyan Topalski, whom he took down early, and a second followed in April 2016. In August 2015 he also won the vacant Warrior Fight Series middleweight title. Against Karlos Vémola he won with a first-round armbar, the first fight he had finished from his back. By the time of his UFC debut he held the middleweight belts of East Coast Fight Factory, Warrior Fight Series and Cage Warriors. The titles changed little in his daily life. As Cage Warriors champion in early 2015 he still worked part-time in the pet shop and taught some classes at the club, and he told MMA Viking that his finances were far from secure. He also spoke about Norway's ban on combat sports that allow knockouts, which left the amateurs he coached struggling to find and pay for fights abroad, and said he hoped the new Norwegian MMA federation would get the sport legalized. The UFC The UFC announced his signing on 31 May 2016, and he won his debut on 3 September 2016 by unanimous decision over Scott Askham. In 2018 he beat Thales Leites, a fight he later told VG he had gone through with a rib that doctors believed had separated from the cartilage at his breastbone. He called the experience torture. In December 2018 he submitted Gerald Meerschaert with a guillotine in the first round. Three months later he met Branch: after bringing him down with a body-lock takedown, Hermansson trapped his head and one arm in the choke while Branch was on his hands and knees, then fell back to finish it. The win earned a Performance of the Night bonus and was MMA Viking's Nordic Submission of the Year for 2019. In April 2019 he beat Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, then ranked in the division's top five, on a unanimous decision over five rounds in a short-notice main event. Hermansson has singled out the Branch and Souza fights as the ones that showed he belonged near the top. In July 2020 the heel hook paid off as well, when he submitted Kelvin Gastelum 78 seconds into the first round. The years that followed also brought defeats. He lost to Jared Cannonier in September 2019, to Marvin Vettori over five rounds in December 2020 and to Sean Strickland on a split decision in February 2022. A chronic back problem forced him out of a fight in 2023, the first withdrawal of his career. In February 2024 he beat Joe Pyfer on a five-round decision and afterwards called again for MMA to be legalized in Norway, saying a fight there would be a highlight of his career. After a first-round knockout loss to Gregory Rodrigues in June 2025, he moved down to welterweight for the first time for a November 2025 bout with Myktybek Orolbai in Doha, saying he wanted his remaining years in the sport to count. Orolbai stopped him in the first round, and his UFC profile lists his professional record as 24 wins and 10 losses. At Frontline, Hermansson is listed among the instructors as the head of the MMA pro team, and the academy presents him as its fighter in the UFC.

Sources for this profile

  • Jack Hermansson, 'Story', jackhermansson.com (official site; Internet Archive snapshot of 6 September 2023).(opens in a new tab)

    • In his own account, Hermansson grew up in Uddevalla, Sweden, where wrestling was the one sport he truly loved as a boy; he trained for ten years at the wrestling club Uddevalla Atletklubb, which he says was like a family to him.

      Where in the source: Archived 'Story' page on his official site, second paragraph — 'Uddevalla Atletklubb'

      Accessed:

    • By his own account, he began training some Muay Thai and MMA at a local gym in Uddevalla at around 18; at 19 he moved to Norway for work, took a job as a substitute teacher near Oslo, and began training MMA under Ståle Nyang in Lørenskog before moving on to Mohsen Bahari at Frontline Academy, who introduced him to Joachim Hansen and Team Hellboy.

      Where in the source: Archived 'Story' page, third paragraph (his move to Norway) — 'Ståle Nyang in skårerhallen, Lørenskog'

      Accessed:

    • He writes that after a short spell back in Sweden without work he returned to Oslo and a job in a pet store, and that his professional career began in 2010 with an East Coast Fight Factory title fight against the defending champion Chris Greig, which he won; in his fight notes he recalls that Joachim Hansen told him about the bout and that he stopped Greig in the third round.

      Where in the source: Archived 'Story' page, third paragraph and the fight note headed 'Chris Greig'

      Accessed:

    • According to his own account, Team Hellboy later moved its training to Frontline Academy in Oslo; some members left for other gyms or opened their own, while he stayed with the Pro Team at Frontline Academy Oslo, the team he says he represents when he fights.

      Where in the source: Archived 'Story' page, fourth paragraph, beginning with the team's move to Frontline Academy

      Accessed:

    • Hermansson has written that he represents both Sweden, his birth country, and Norway, where he has built his home and career, and that he identifies with both Swedes and Norwegians.

      Where in the source: Archived 'Story' page, paragraphs on representing two countries — 'my birth country, Sweden'

      Accessed:

    • In his fight notes he writes that he lost both of his Bellator bouts, first a split decision to Daniel Vizcaya and then to a triangle choke from Jason Butcher after he became over-aggressive following a takedown.

      Where in the source: Archived 'Story' page, fight notes headed 'Daniel Vizcaya' and 'Jason Butcher'

      Accessed:

    • In his fight notes he describes winning the Cage Warriors middleweight title from Norman Paraisy with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round, defending it against Deyan Topalski by taking him down early, and later winning against Karlos Vémola with a first-round armbar, the first time he finished a fight from his back.

      Where in the source: Archived 'Story' page, fight notes headed 'Norman Paraisy', 'Deyan Topalski' and 'Karlos Vemola'

      Accessed:

    • At the time of writing, shortly after his UFC debut, he held the middleweight titles of East Coast Fight Factory, Warrior Fight Series and Cage Warriors.

      Where in the source: Archived 'Story' page, paragraph giving his record as 14-2

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  • 'Jack Hermansson Wades Into New Waters', UFC.com, November 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • Thirty-three fights into his professional career, and after being knocked out by Gregory Rodrigues in June 2025, Hermansson moved down to welterweight for the first time for a November 2025 bout with Myktybek Orolbai in Doha; he said people had urged the move for his whole career and that he wanted his remaining years in the sport to count.

      Where in the source: UFC.com preview before UFC Qatar, November 2025, opening paragraphs

      Accessed:

  • Daniel Schälander, 'Inside the Mind of Oslo Viking: Jack 'The Joker' Hermansson', MMA Viking, 5 February 2015.(opens in a new tab)

    • MMA Viking described Hermansson in 2015 as a Swede from Uddevalla who, like many young Swedes, had moved west to Norway for work; he began with Greco-Roman wrestling at nine and turned to MMA at 18, and said he trained at several places before settling on Frontline and what was then Team Hellboy.

      Where in the source: Feature by Daniel Schälander, 5 February 2015, section 'The Western Migration to Norway'

      Accessed:

    • As reigning Cage Warriors champion in early 2015, he told MMA Viking the title had changed little in his life; he worked part-time in a pet store and taught some classes at the club, and said his finances were far from stable.

      Where in the source: Feature, 5 February 2015, section 'Not a Life of Glamour for Cage Warriors Champ'

      Accessed:

    • In the same 2015 interview he described Norway's ban on combat sports that allow knockouts as a real obstacle for the amateurs he coached, who struggled to find and afford fights abroad, and said he hoped the new Norwegian MMA federation would push through legalisation.

      Where in the source: Feature, 5 February 2015, passage after the explanation of the Norwegian 'KO law'

      Accessed:

  • 'Svenskar som tränar utomlands: Jack Hermansson', Fighter Magazine (fightermag.se), 23 June 2013 (Internet Archive snapshot of 16 February 2017).(opens in a new tab)

    • In a 2013 interview with Fighter Magazine he said he started wrestling at nine and switched to MMA in the autumn of 2008; after six months working in Norway and training at several clubs he settled with Team Hellboy, partly because Joachim Hansen was a big idol of his, and he then trained and competed for Frontline Academy in Oslo while supporting himself through sponsors, work as an MMA instructor and a part-time job in a pet shop.

      Where in the source: Swedish Q&A, 23 June 2013, first answers — 'hösten 2008'

      Accessed:

    • Recommending Frontline Academy to other fighters in 2013, he pointed to the many Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts at the club and its three levels of MMA, jiu-jitsu and Thai boxing classes, from beginners to professionals.

      Where in the source: Swedish Q&A, 23 June 2013, answer on whether he would recommend training in Norway

      Accessed:

  • 'Jack Hermansson', UFC.com athlete profile (Q&A tab).(opens in a new tab)

    • In his UFC questionnaire Hermansson says he had wanted to do martial arts since early childhood, wrestled for ten years, trained fighting with his brother from books and Bruce Lee films, discovered MMA online around 2006, started training in 2008 and had his first amateur bout in 2009.

      Where in the source: UFC athlete page, 'Q&A' tab — 'When and why did you start training for fighting?'

      Accessed:

    • The UFC profile gives his nickname as 'The Joker', which he explains came from people at school and around his fights because he always has a smile on his face; it lists his place of birth as Uddevalla, Sweden, and Frontline Academy in Oslo as where he trains.

      Where in the source: UFC athlete page, header and 'Bio'/'Fighter Facts' tabs — 'Origin of nickname'

      Accessed:

    • Hermansson trains at Frontline Academy in Oslo, according to his UFC profile.

      Where in the source: UFC athlete page, 'Bio' tab — 'Trains at'

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    • His UFC profile names his favourite grappling technique as the heel hook and lists among his heroes his mother, Joachim Hansen, Alexander Gustafsson and Bruce Lee; before fighting full-time he worked in a pet shop, with endangered animal species, as a substitute teacher and student assistant, and as a bartender.

      Where in the source: UFC athlete page, 'Q&A' tab — 'Favorite grappling technique'

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    • In the UFC he made his debut on 3 September 2016 with a unanimous decision over Scott Askham, submitted Gerald Meerschaert with a first-round guillotine choke in December 2018, submitted David Branch with a guillotine choke 49 seconds into their fight in March 2019, won a five-round unanimous decision over Ronaldo Souza in April 2019, and submitted Kelvin Gastelum with a heel hook at 1:18 of the first round in July 2020.

      Where in the source: UFC athlete page, 'UFC History' tab, entries dated 9/3/16, 12/15/18, 3/30/19, 4/27/19 and 7/19/20

      Accessed:

    • His UFC record also includes a loss to Jared Cannonier in September 2019, a five-round decision loss to Marvin Vettori in December 2020, a split-decision loss to Sean Strickland in February 2022, a five-round decision win over Joe Pyfer in February 2024, and first-round knockout losses to Gregory Rodrigues in June 2025 and Myktybek Orolbai in November 2025; the profile lists his professional record as 24-10.

      Where in the source: UFC athlete page, record in header and 'UFC History' tab entries from 9/28/19 to 11/22/25

      Accessed:

  • Martin Busk, 'Hermanssons favorittgrep forbløffer, men motstanderen mener han har funnet svaret', Nettavisen, 27 September 2019.(opens in a new tab)

    • Hermansson told Nettavisen in 2019 that the guillotine variation behind his submission wins was first shown to him by Eduardo 'Teta' Rios, the jiu-jitsu coach at Frontline Academy, in what he recalled as their first grappling session together; years passed before he tried it, and repeated success in training built the confidence to use it in fights. MMA media had nicknamed the hold the 'Jokertine'.

      Where in the source: Article by Martin Busk, 27 September 2019, section 'Prøvde igjen og igjen' and the paragraph on the nickname

      Accessed:

  • MMA Viking Staff, '2019 Submission of the Year: Hermansson Submits Branch in 49 Seconds', MMA Viking, 25 December 2019.(opens in a new tab)

    • MMA Viking named his win over David Branch, a Renzo Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt, its 2019 Nordic Submission of the Year: after a body-lock takedown he caught an arm-in guillotine while Branch was on all fours and fell back to finish it in 49 seconds, earning a Performance of the Night bonus.

      Where in the source: Award article, 25 December 2019, second and third paragraphs

      Accessed:

  • Pål Magnus Bjørlo, 'Jack Hermansson Ready to Beat Branch at UFC Philadelphia', MMA Viking, 29 March 2019.(opens in a new tab)

    • Before the Branch fight MMA Viking noted that, although many saw him as a striker, he came from a wrestling background of several hundred matches; he said wrestling had once been his strongest skill but was now evenly matched by the rest of his game, and that he had grappled with black belts.

      Where in the source: Preview by Pål Magnus Bjørlo, 29 March 2019, fourth paragraph — 'several hundred matches'

      Accessed:

  • Pål Magnus Bjørlo, 'Hermansson Shines in Oslo Submission Series Unique Event', MMA Viking, 8 March 2016.(opens in a new tab)

    • In March 2016, while Cage Warriors middleweight champion, Hermansson grappled in a superfight at the second Oslo Submission Series, a submission-only event under EBI rules held at Chateau Neuf in Oslo, and beat the Norwegian black belt Christopher Hermanstad by armbar in overtime.

      Where in the source: Event report by Pål Magnus Bjørlo, 8 March 2016, paragraph on the second superfight

      Accessed:

  • Daniel Schälander, 'Meet Frontline Academy's Head Coach Brazilian Eduardo 'Teta' Rios', MMA Viking, 26 February 2015.(opens in a new tab)

    • Eduardo 'Teta' Rios, head coach at Frontline Academy in Oslo, received all his belts from Ricardo Libório, whom he followed to the Carlson Gracie Academy and to Libório's own gym; MMA Viking listed Jack Hermansson among the fighters based at the gym, with a photo caption showing Rios after a Hermansson win in Copenhagen.

      Where in the source: Profile of Rios, 26 February 2015, opening paragraph and his account of his teacher

      Accessed:

  • 'Family', jackhermansson.com (official site; Internet Archive snapshot of 23 April 2019).(opens in a new tab)

    • In 2019 his official site listed Eduardo 'Teta' Rios as his jiu-jitsu and MMA coach and Mohsen Bahari as his MMA coach, alongside a boxing coach and a strength and conditioning coach.

      Where in the source: Archived 'Family' page, section 'Coaching Staff' — 'Jiu Jitsu / MMA Coach'

      Accessed:

  • 'Våre instruktører', Frontline Academy (frontlineacademy.no), read 28 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Frontline Academy lists Hermansson among its instructors as head of the MMA Pro Team, noting that he started wrestling at around ten and has trained MMA actively since 2009.

      Where in the source: Instructors page, 'Hasle' accordion section, entry 'Jack Hermansson' — 'FAGANSVARLIG MMA-PRO TEAM'

      Accessed:

  • 'Hermansson om den stygge skaden: – Det var ren tortur', VG (page marked updated 10 May 2019; Internet Archive snapshot of 2 May 2023).(opens in a new tab)

    • After his 2018 comeback win over Thales Leites, Hermansson told VG that doctors believed he had fought with a rib torn loose from the cartilage attaching it to the breastbone, and that it had been pure torture.

      Where in the source: VG interview after the Leites fight, lead and first quote — 'costochondral separation'

      Accessed:

  • 'Jack Hermansson Is No Easy Out', UFC.com, February 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • Ahead of the 2024 Pyfer fight, Hermansson named the Branch submission and the short-notice main-event win over Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza, then ranked in the division's top five, as the two fights where he proved he belonged at the top; he also said a chronic back problem had forced the first withdrawal of his career in 2023.

      Where in the source: UFC.com feature before UFC Vegas 86, passage beginning with his memory of the Branch fight

      Accessed:

  • 'Krever legalisering i Norge: – Lite kunnskapsrikt å være motstander', Nettavisen, 21 February 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • After beating Joe Pyfer in February 2024, Hermansson, described by Nettavisen as Norway's leading MMA athlete, called for MMA competition to be legalised in Norway, saying a fight there would be a career highlight.

      Where in the source: Nettavisen article, 21 February 2024, opening paragraphs

      Accessed:

  • Kathrine Burne, 'Watch Khamzat Chimaev Dominate Jack Hermansson In Wrestling Match', Jits Magazine, 21 November 2021.(opens in a new tab)

    • In November 2021 Hermansson met fellow UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev in a wrestling match that headlined Bulldog Fight Night 9 in Gothenburg, Sweden; Chimaev won decisively.

      Where in the source: Jits Magazine report, first two paragraphs

      Accessed:

  • 'Jack Hermansson', English Wikipedia, read 28 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Hermansson was born on 10 June 1988 in Uddevalla, Sweden.

      Where in the source: Wikipedia article, lead sentence and infobox 'Born'

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    • Wikipedia records that he signed with Bellator in 2012, won the vacant Cage Warriors middleweight title in June 2014, defended it in August 2014 and again in April 2016 after the promotion's hiatus, won the vacant Warrior Fight Series middleweight title in August 2015, and was announced as a UFC signing on 31 May 2016.

      Where in the source: Wikipedia article, sections 'Bellator MMA', 'Independent promotions' and 'Ultimate Fighting Championship – 2016'

      Accessed:

  • 'Frontline Academy MMA Pro Team', Frontline Academy (frontlineacademy.no), read 28 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Frontline Academy presents Hermansson as the academy's athlete in the UFC and names former Frontline fighter Emil Meek and current MMA coach Simeon Thoresen as others who have fought there.

      Where in the source: MMA Pro Team page, section 'UFC – det store målet'

      Accessed:

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