The Joker’ ends Pyfer’s winning streak

Jack ‘The Joker’ Hermansson ended Joe Pyfer’s winning run with a unanimous decision triumph in the middleweight main event of a UFC Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on Sunday morning.

Pyfer had secured five straight wins (all by stoppages inside the first two rounds) from December 2021 to October 2023, while Hermansson had lost three of his last five trips to the Octagon from December 2020 to December 2022, but it was the latter who took the plaudits from the judges after five rounds, with a 48-47 48-47 48-47 points victory.

Through a competitive fight, Pyfer had the upper hand in the first round, but Hermansson’s experience and wider range of offence gradually gave him the upper hand. The Joker also repelled Pyfer’s takedown attempts and grounded his opponent in the final round to secure dominance and the ‘W’.

“I know people underestimated my boxing skills because of some past performances," Hermansson told UFC commentator Daniel Cormier during his post-fight interview. "I got hit in the beginning more than I should have.

"I would love to have at least two more fights this year. There are a few things I want to say. First of all, legalize MMA in Norway. It's very important to me. Second of all, I would like to fight in Sweden again. Finally, how about Nassourdine Imavov?”

The rest of the main card saw Dan Ige claim a first-round KO win over Andre Fili in the featherweight division; Ihor Potieria outpointed Robert Bryczek in a catchweight (187.5 lb) bout; Gregory Rodrigues stopped Brad Tavares early in the third round of their middleweight match; Michael Johnson outpointed Darrius Flowers across three rounds of their lightweight fight; and the middleweight opener saw Rodolfo Vieira submit Armen Petrosyan in the first round.

The next event is UFC 298 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Sunday.

This will be headlined by a match for the featherweight championship between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT: HERMANSSON VS PYFER MAIN CARD RESULTS

- Main event: Middleweight: Jack Hermansson def. Joe Pyfer via unanimous decision (48-47 48-47 48-47), R5, 5:00

- Featherweight: Dan Ige def. Andre Fili via KO (punches), R1, 2:43

- Catchweight (187.5 lb): Ihor Potieria def. Robert Bryczek via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 29-28), R3, 5:00

- Middleweight: Gregory Rodrigues def. Brad Tavares via TKO (punches), R3, 0:55

- Lightweight: Michael Johnson def. Darrius Flowers via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 30-27), R 3, 5:00

- Middleweight: Rodolfo Vieira def. Armen Petrosyan via submission (arm-triangle choke), R1, 4:48