Before beating the young prospect Edmen Shahbazyan, Hermansson was diagnosed with COVID-19 and hasn’t been doing too hot.

What’s Going On?

According to sources, before fighting Edmen Shahbazyn on UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt, Hermansson was reportedly diagnosed with COVID-19. The Swedish-born fighter has been struggling with the disease and has admitted himself that it’s taken a toll on him.

Yesterday was the second full day that he has trained since that fight with Shahbazyan and according to Hermansson himself, he was “in the worst shape of his life”.

The Effects of COVID-19 On The UFC

Hermansson has not been the only fighter who has been dealt the short end of the stick regarding COVID-19. The most prominent example of this is Khamzat Chimaev as well as Cody Garbrandt. Khamzat’s case got so bad that the UFC had to bring him to the United States to get him proper medical care to treat him.

Dana claimed that Khamzat knew he had the disease, but continued to train regardless. With that being said, Khamzat has gone from being known as the guy to fight every ten days to being out of competition for almost a whole year now.

Cody is another example of what COVID-19 is able to do to some of the most healthiest people on the planet. Cody came out and explained the struggles he had with COVID-19, including: pneumonia, vertigo, mental fog, and blood clots. To provide some context, this was all before he fought Assuncao on UFC 250 back in June of last year.

What’s Next for Hermansson?

Now, assuming that Jack heals up well enough to fight, I believe a matchup between him and Derek Brunson would be an interesting watch. Right now Hermansson is ranked #6 and Brunson is ranked #5. Both men have skillsets that continue to develop and expand, which only adds to the potential for this fight.