Jack Hermansson, Kelvin Gastelum (©UFC)

Jack “The Joker” Hermansson, 32, earned his eighth victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Fighting out of Uddevalla, Sweden by way of Oslo, Norway, the Swedish-Norwegian mixed martial artist was one of the “UFC Fight Night 172” winners.

Also called “UFC on ESPN+ 30,” “UFC Fight Night 172”  featured 12 MMA matches on the UFC Fight Island on Yas Island on July 19, 2020 in the UAE or July 18, 2020 in the United States. Hermansson fought Kelvin Gastelum, 28, of Yuma, Arizona, USA in the middleweight division in the co-main event, which was refereed by Herb Dean.

Dean put a stop to the middleweight contest after 1 minute and 18 seconds in the first round. Hermansson submitted Gastelum via heel hook.

This is the first time Hermansson submitted an opponent in a professional MMA bout via heel hook. Winning at “UFC Fight Night 172” improved the Swedish-Norwegian MMA fighter’s professional MMA record to 21 wins and 5 losses.

Born in Uddevalla on June 10, 1988, Hermansson started his martial arts career as a wrestler in 1997 and transitioned to MMA in 2008. In 2006, he moved to Oslo, where he worked as a pet store staff, bartender and substitute teacher and started his MMA training.

Fighting professionally as an MMA fighter since 2010, Hermansson joined the UFC in 2016. The first seven opponents he defeated in the promotion were Scott Askham, Alex Nicholson, Bradley Scott, Thales Leites, Gerald Meerschaert, David Branch and Ronaldo Souza.

On the other hand, Gastelum now has 15 wins, 7 losses, 0 draw and 1 No Contest. The Yuma native is now riding a three-bout losing streak.

“UFC Fight Night 172” was the third UFC event to take place on the UFC Fight Island during the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A total of 17 countries were represented namely Armenia, Brazil, Canada, the DR Congo, England, Georgia, Iraq, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the U.S. and Wales.

Hermansson solely represented Norway and he was one of the two fighters who represented Sweden. Gastelum was one of the four representatives of the U.S.