The middleweight division has a new contender.
Jack Hermansson may have seemed like an unlikely candidate to co-headline the UFC’s second card on ESPN, but he proved that he belonged by taking out veteran David Branch in just 49 seconds with a guillotine choke at UFC Philadelphia on Saturday.
A respected grappler, Branch had only been submitted once in his 11-year career, the last time by Rousimar Palhares in March 2011 (he also tapped out to strikes in a September 2017 bout to Luke Rockhold). The crafty Hermansson looked to be in a different class as he wrestled Branch to the mat and locked in a tight choke that left Branch with no choice but to tap or go to sleep.