«There is no pain! Look at me! Well, you have to knock him out! ”

MMA coach Mohsen Bahari is facing a seated Jack Hermansson in great pain, before the third and final round against former UFC title contender, Thales Leites from Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro.

“Uh vai morrer!” – “You’re going to die!” shouts 10,000 Brazilians from the stands.

Hermansson’s one rib has come loose from his party and now he is well on his way to losing his second straight fight and having his dream of a future title fight in the UFC shattered, but coach Bahari wants it differently.

Within a minute, he gets Hermansson to change focus from anything limited to him to what he has to do to win.

Against all odds, the Frontline fighter manages to knock out Leites in the third round before breaking down in gray due to the pain.

Those days started a series of victories, which led Hermansson up to the world top in the UFC.

– What feelings does it evoke in you when you see your thunder speech between the rounds in Rio again, Mohsen?

– It was a nerve-wracking match and it was painful to see that Jack was in so much pain. At the same time, it was sad to see which way the match was going, as I knew how much it meant to Jack to win that particular match. It is a very emotional moment for me too, even though it does not seem like that now and then, says Mohsen Bahari to Nettavisen.

– Did you assess whether he was so injured that you should throw in the towel, or were you as confident in your case as it seems?

– Jack told me after the first round that he thought he had broken his rib. I thought he needed to get that thought pattern and focus on how to win, instead of locking himself in anything him. Cracking and ribs can be dangerous in some cases, but I judged it in such a way that it was not dangerous in this case, says Bahari.

– When one of your fighters has got a new fight and new opponents, what are your tasks then?

– I usually go through the opponent’s matches chronologically and see how his development has been until the last matches. If there is any pattern that goes again. Then I can come up with some advice and say «against that style, you have this and that of your tools. This can be effective ‘. If the practitioner agrees, then we try to drill a little on it. If not, then we discuss a little more around what else we can do and what the practitioner is comfortable with.

– Before Jack has to fight, do you focus most on what he has to do, or on the opponent and his strengths?

– Especially Jack has a very all-round game, so he can adapt his style a lot to the opponent he meets. It’s a little difficult to answer, but it’s probably a combination of both.

– Is it one match you come up with, where the battle plan is very good and you feel everything has gone well?

– I really liked the match Jack went to in Milan against the Polish (Ireneusz Cholewa). There Jack had a very good game plan, where he had to move on his legs, stay on the outside and use his jab, against a practitioner who goes in and beats everything he can and tries to get a takedown in the clinch. It was a very good performance by Jack. Still, it is probably his fight against Jacare that I want to put the highest. He came in as an underdog and dominated most of the match. It was also a five-lap, so that’s probably one of the best performances for Jack.

– Do you have the impression that many underestimate the tactical aspect of MMA – that many think it’s just going into the cage and going berserk?

– Yes, there are probably many who do it. What many do not know is that it is practitioner who has a wide range of skills and other practitioners who are experts in a niche. For example, a leg lock or a specific blow. I am convinced that it is important to play around and be aware of the strengths of the opponent. If you want to be on top and stay there, you must always have something new to bring to the table. One must develop oneself, but also work around whether the opponent has to offer. If you are in the top five – top ten, the opponent always has something dangerous to come up with, which you have to be careful with. At the same time, you must be able to fight wars – the plan does not always work and then you must be prepared to change it.

– You yourself have a very long career behind you as an active fighter. When did you realize you had what it took to become a coach?

– I started training myself when I was 13-14 years old. I have not always had a coach who has followed me all the way, but in small parts I have received a little help here and there. I have had to familiarize myself with concepts and work in a way that I can secure my own commission. I have learned a lot in setting up training and seeing what works and does not work. I also have a long education, a master’s degree in behavioral science. It has come in very handy. While competing, I have also coached the entire team throughout my career. It has been a natural thing all along.

– When I talked to you in Copenhagen in 2019, you said that you wanted to go one last match. Is it still relevant?

– Yes, I feel like going to a fight in Japan. It’s on my “bucket list”. I have coached Joachim (Hansen) there and trained there myself, so I will go to a match there before I quit completely. I’ll probably do that when it opens a little more. We have been in contact with organizers and it looks like it can be done.

– What has Joachim Hansen meant for your MMA career?

– Joachim is the one who got me in MMA. I had a lot around me when I trained Thai boxing, and then I actually started as a sparring partner before he had to go to fights. I got a little into MMA that way, then that was after all he taught me to break and grab and a lot of the MMA game. He has been a huge inspiration both as a person and a performer.

– You were involved in training Emil Meek towards one of the biggest surprises in Norwegian MMA history when he beat Rousimar Palhares. How did you prepare him for such a dangerous leg lock specialist?

– It was basically trying to defend takedowns and work standing. Emil did it in an excellent way and finished the match quite early. It was a match he took at first short notice too, so it was not so much we got done in the short time either.

– In the past, we have been happy if we have had Norwegian fighters in the UFC. Well, Jack Hermansson has been among the top five in his weight class and taken Norwegian MMA to a new level. Why has he become so good?

– He has always worked purposefully and had a very good progression. He has trained as if he is in camp almost all the time and worked on developing his skills in all areas. It’s one thing to keep your physique and fitness going, so it’s something special to develop your skills all the time. It gives results. At the same time, he has been very active and gone fights as soon as he has been given the opportunity.

– There are still discussions about whether it is best to be a big fish in a small pond or vice versa. For Jack, it does not seem appropriate to run at a major gym in the United States or the like. Why does it work so well for him at Frontline Academy in Oslo?

– It is his work ethic and that he adds what is needed. As long as you have the opportunity to develop where you are, it is not necessary to travel abroad. It’s always healthy to get a little different input, but to be honest, I’m convinced we have the tools we need to be the best in Frontline.

– Which of today’s MMA fighters, apart from your own, do you like to compete best?

– There are very many. I like to see Adesanya, I like to see Glover Teixeira. Kevin Lee is always entertaining to watch. Khabib and Justin Gaethje are also high up. It is a lot. I love the sport, so I have a long list of athletes, I like to compete.

On February 5, Jack Hermansson will be in action again with Mohsen Bahari in his corner. The match is the main match at the event and Sean Strickland is the opponent.