“The Joker” is back!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Jack Hermansson returns to action against Brazil’s Gregory Rodrigues this weekend (Sat., June 28, 2025) in the UFC 317 “Prelims” headliner, which goes down inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (not the APEX).
Hermansson last competed at UFC Vegas 86, where he handed Joe Pyfer his first UFC loss via unanimous decision.
Then, poof! “Joker” disappeared.
No stranger to layoffs, the 37-year-old’s absence stood out in a middleweight division hungry for title contenders.
Now we know why: Hermansson has been sidelined by injuries and campaigning to legalize mixed martial arts (MMA) in Norway, his home country.
Though he kept details of the injury private, its impact was clear.
“It’s been my body, it’s been troublesome,” Hermansson told Just Scrap Radio recently. “I’ve been having injuries, and I haven’t been able to train. Then, slowly making my way back with rehabilitation, very slowly, and upping the training. Finally, I felt like I was at the point where I was able to book a fight…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.”
As a global sport, MMA is legal in most countries, but unfortunately, Norway is an exception, where it remains illegal due to laws prohibiting knockouts as a method of victory.
The UFC veteran is working to change that, but progress is slow and bleak.
“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.”
Hermannson is currently a +180 betting underdog to Rodrigues and has been removed from the rankings due to inactivity.
For the rest of the UFC 317 fight card and PPV lineup click here.
