Jack Hermansson says Darren Till was supposed to be a “tune-up fight” only interested in fighting Whittaker or Costa next

Jack Hermansson will still be fighting on Saturday night in the main event of UFC Vegas 16.

Originally, Hermansson was expected to fight fan-favorite, Darren Till. However, the Englishman was forced out with an injury and was replaced by Kevin Holland. Yet, Holland got COVID-19 and now Hermansson is set to fight Marvin Vettori.

For Hermansson, he says when he found out Till was out it was very disappointing news for him. He knows that would’ve been a big fight, and was confident he would have beat the Liverpool native.

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“I was very disappointed especially with all the work that went into this fight camp. I have been specializing on Darren Till,” Hermansson said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “We just broke the game down into small details and worked so hard to perfect everything. Then he is suddenly out. I lose a great opponent and a big fan-favorite. That sucked, we managed to at least get a fight.”

Following Till’s pulling out, Hermansson says he had a hard time getting an opponent. The Swede claims he was turned down by five people before Holland stepped up.

For Hermansson, he says he has no clue why lower-ranked middleweights weren’t jumping at the chance to fight him.

“I’m not one of those guys that people are scared of me. But, it might be that people feel they need some time to prepare for me, that four weeks isn’t enough for them. Sometimes the timing in people’s lives isn’t right,” Hermansson explained. “But, for guys ranked below me, I’m right up there and if you want to climb the ranks you have to take these opportunities. Four weeks isn’t that short of notice. I would have loved to see another top guy step up.”

Although Jack Hermansson has his hands full in Marvin Vettori, the Swede is confident he will get his hand raised. If he does end up winning, he believes there are only two fights that make sense for him.

“I don’t like the Till fight too much because that was supposed to be my tune-up fight to show I am the next contender. Now I want that title contender fight,” Hermansson concluded. “It is Robert Whittaker but if Rob isn’t ready, then, Paulo Costa. Those are the only two guys. My next fight should be a contender fight.”

Who would you like to see Jack Hermansson fight next if he beats Marvin Vettori?