UFC 317 Lineup Gains Jack Hermansson-Gregory Rodrigues Middleweight Clash

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is slowly but surely building a solid card for International Fight Week.

A pair of formerly ranked middleweights will slug it out over three rounds at UFC 317, according to Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight on Wednesday. Jack Hermansson (24-8) will look to regain a number next to his name, and he will have to get past Gregory Rodrigues (16-6) to get there. The Swede’s management team of Chosen Advisory Group confirmed the battle on social media on Thursday. The two will toe the line in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 28, placed in a lineup that is yet to have a main event announced.

Hermansson will be making his return to the Octagon after over 16 months on the shelf, with no fight booked in that span of time. The Swedish fighter who trains out of Norway has alternated wins and losses across his last nine outings. During that erratic stretch, “The Joker” notched wins over names like Kelvin Gastelum and Ronaldo Souza while coming up short to foes like Sean Strickland and Jared Cannonier.

The UFC tenure for “Robocop” Rodrigues has been a violent to date, with seven of his 10 appearances ending by knockout, win or lose. Most recently, the Brazilian saw a three-fight win streak fall to pieces when former title challenger Cannonier drummed him out with punches in the fourth round—that being the first time Rodrigues had ever fought beyond three rounds. Before then, Rodrigues knocked out Denis Tiuliulin and Brad Tavares while slowing the hype train of Christian Leroy Duncan by winning a decision over him.