UFC Fight Night 236: Jack Hermansson powers past Joe Pyfer, Dan Ige secures brutal knockout win over Andre Fili

Jack Hermansson powered past Joe Pyfer in their fight with a victory by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 236.

Hermansson proved to be too strong for Pyfer in this middleweight clash after five absorbing rounds in Las Vegas, as all judges scored the final three rounds in the Swedish-Norwegian’s favour and the first two to Pyfer.

Pyfer started brightly, working some openings with a leg-and-hook combination, with Hermansson feeling the impact from those early blows.

But after riding out the early storm, Hermansson came into his own, ending the fight in dominant fashion in round five with a flurry of elbow strikes and punches, before following this up with several punches and hammer fists.

Hermansson was taking part in his fifth UFC main event, and all five went the distance, which contrasted with Pyfer, who was taking part in his first.

The 35-year-old spoke about a tricky start to the fight, but explained how his supreme fitness came to the fore later on.

"I got hit in the beginning more than I should have," said Hermansson. "The plan was to put on the pace the more the fight went. And I knew that, as I've said, I drown people when I do that.

"I know that people underestimate my boxing skills because of some less-than-good performances.

"But especially in a long fight, nobody has the cardio I have."

It was a much-needed win for Hermansson, who alternated between victories and defeats in his previous nine fights.

The victory served as an ideal response, after he was left to mull on a second-round TKO loss against Roman Dolidze back in December 2022.

It was a disappointing night for Pyfer, with the result ending a five-fight winning streak which most recently included a second-round submission of Abdul Razak Alhassan in October.

Dan Ige produced a stunning performance with a first-round knockout against Andre Fili in a co-main event featherweight fight.

The clash was stopped two minutes and 43 seconds into the fight, as Ige returned to winning ways following a defeat against Bryce Mitchell in September.

Prior to that defeat to Mitchell, Ige had overcame Damon Jackson and Nate Landwehr by knockout and unanimous decision respectively.

Fili tested the water with a left jab, but was overpowered by Ige’s thumping right hand that sent the 33-year-old tumbling to the canvas.

Ige finished off the job with another right hand to seal victory, with his pregnant wife about to give birth any time.

“She’s probably in labour right now, so I had to make that one quick,” he told Daniel Cormier.

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