At UFC 102 back in 2007, Ed Herman’s career flashed in front of his eyes. Twice during the fight his knee was caught in an awkward position, however it was in the second round when he attempted a high kick that he collapsed to the ground and realized he was in trouble. He found out afterwards that he had torn his ACL and would require surgery. Tearing your ACL in a sport such as MMA could be a detriment to your career, but Herman pushed through it.
It was a scary thing to go through. A lot of athletes are done after tearing their ACL.
He spent two years going through physiotherapy and recovering, before he eventually made his way back to the octagon. He used that time to grow as an athlete in the sport.
I learned not to go to a decision for one and it gave me the drive to restart my career.
Since returning, Herman has stopped two of his opponents via submission, in fact he has finished 12 of his 20 opponents by way of submission. In his upcoming fight against Jake Shields at UFC 150 however, he knows that Shields’ immediate plan will be to take the fight to the ground and will be ready for that.
It’s no secret that Jake wants this fight on the ground. I will be ready to stuff his shots and knock him out. I will also exploit his stand up and conditioning when he can’t get the take down.
This will be Herman’s toughest fight to date, as he is facing a former Strikeforce/EliteXC champion and number one contender in the UFC welterweight division in Shields. He stated he “has a lot to prove in this fight,” but he “is ready.” Hopefully the former champ isn’t overlooking Herman, or in Herman’s case, hopefully he is.
I hope so, but Jake’s a smart guy he’ll be ready for a war.
The middleweight division has quickly become one of the best in all of the sport. The UFC middleweight kingpin has long been Anderson Silva, however there are many that are creeping his way, including the likes of Chris Weidman, Michael Bisping and Brian Stann. Where does a win put Herman? As UFC President Dana White would say, “in the mix.”
I’m not sure on opponent that I would fight, as there are so many guys stacked up at the top right now. However a big win puts me right in the mix at the top.
When asked the question as to who he would like to see fight Silva next, Herman thought it was a tough question, but did not shy away from an answer.
That’s a hard question. I would like to see Weidman get a shot, because I think he can beat him. But, the winner of Bisping/Stann or Belcher/Belfort will probably get it. I’d like to see Belcher get a shot.
Can Ed Herman make it four wins in a row inside the octagon and get “in the mix”? Find out this Saturday night live on PPV during the main card of UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar.
You can follow Ed on twitter @EdHermanUFC and ‘like’ his Facebook Fan Page.
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