UFC Fight Night 160 went down last night (Sat., Sept. 28, 2019) inside Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark, featuring a Middleweight bout that saw Jared Cannonier show off his power by finishing Jack Hermansson via strikes in round two (highlights). In the co-main event, Mark Madsen started off his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career off with a bang by knocking out Danilo Belluardo in the very first round (see it again here).
Biggest Winner: Jared Cannonier
Since dropping down to Middleweight, Cannonier has been on an absolute tear, collecting three straight knockout victories, including his dominant win over Hermansson. With the win, “Killa Gorilla” proves he is a legit contender at 185 pounds and will likely move up the rankings following his win over the No. 5-ranked “Joker.”
Cannonier has been longing for bigger and better fights, and stopping Hermansson essentially ensuresthat will indeed happen moving forward. While he won’t get a title shot just yet, he made a big case to at least get in the mix with his impressive finish. Not bad for a former Heavyweight-turned-Light Heavyweight-turned-Middleweight. It’s safe to say Cannonier has found his home.
Runner Up: Gilbert Burns
Burns got the call up to face one of his toughest challenges to date, Gunnar Nelson, less than two weeks ago. And after 15 minutes of action, Burns out-worked Nelson to earn a unanimous decision win, giving him his second victory in a little more than one month. Indeed, Burns had just defeated Alexey Kunchenko on Aug. 10, a few weeks before accepting the Nelson fight. It just goes to show why fighters — especially those in desperate need of the spotlight — should never pass up the opportunity for a quick turnaround. That is now four straight wins for “Durinho.”
Biggest Loser: Jack Hermansson
After reeling off four straight wins in less than one year, Hermansson was one of the hottest fighters in the division, and a win over Cannonier would’ve gotten him at least one more win away from a title shot. Instead, “The Joker” will now have to start from scratch after getting starched by the much more powerful Cannonier in two rounds.
It’s a tough loss for Hermansson, who has been working his butt off over the last two years to climb the ranks, only to have it end in the blink of an eye. But that’s mixed martial arts (MMA) — a fighter can be so close to the Promised Land only to get shut down by someone hungrier. Still, Hermansson has the chops to bounce back, but the road will be much tougher moving forward.
For complete UFC Copenhagen results and coverage click here.
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