After 16 months away, Jack Hermansson is finally back. The veteran middleweight steps into the Octagon this Saturday at UFC 317 in Las Vegas, taking on dangerous striker Gregory Rodrigues in a high-profile prelim headliner. No APEX this time — it’s T-Mobile Arena, with fans in the seats and real noise in the air.
Hermansson’s last win came against Joe Pyfer at UFC Vegas 86. Then? Nothing. No callouts, no interviews — just silence. Some wondered if “The Joker” was done for good.
Turns out, he wasn’t just sitting on the sidelines. The 37-year-old UFC vet was recovering from nagging injuries that left him unable to train. “Rehab was slow. Very slow,” he admitted. “There were moments I doubted I’d ever be back.”
Hermansson also spent time back home in Norway, fighting for something bigger: the legalization of MMA. With knockouts still banned under outdated laws, he’s become one of the sport’s leading voices in the country’s push for reform.
