Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
After nearly two weeks, Ed Herman responds to criticisms about his controversial win over Mike Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 10.
MMA veteran Ed Herman may have picked up a submission win at UFC Vegas 10 two weeks ago, but he’s getting a lot of heat from it. All of it stems from a questionable call made by referee Chris Tognoni in the second round.
Thinking Rodriguez threw a knee to the groin, he called a momentarily halt to the action. This allowed Herman to take his time and regroup himself, as he was getting badly hurt.
As UFC president Dana White unloaded on Tognoni, fans online apparently piled on Herman, dragging his wife into the conversation.
“‘Your husband’s a dumbass, your husband’s a cheater,’” Herman told MMA Fighting about the messages his wife were getting. “You get in the cage in fight, or come and say that sh-t to my wife’s face. She’ll kick you in the face.”
For many observers including Rodriguez, Herman seemed like he was milking the clock during those moments when the fight was stopped. Herman obviously saw it differently.
“I was trying to defend myself the best I could being hurt, and as a fighter, your job is to survive and continue to fight as long as you can. When you’re hurt, you’re on autopilot,” he explained.
Herman also addressed another criticism thrown at him, when he was seen latching his toes onto the fence to gain more leverage to finish the kimura. As he explained, it was all unintentional.
“I was moving in reaction, being half knocked out and under duress, my instincts just took over. That’s the kind of sh-t that happens in the heat of battle.”
Herman also took issue with how Michael Bisping interviewed him after the fight.
“Bisping I think is kind of a punk, because to my face, he acts like he’s my buddy, and then kind of came after me and made me look bad and talked some trash, so it’s kind of messed up. If he wants to come out of retirement and throw the gloves on, we can do that,” Herman said.
Herman says he is happy for Rodriguez for getting his win money despite the loss. But ultimately, he has no regrets about how the got the win.
“I’m glad Mike got his win money. But I’m not sorry for coming back and winning the fight,” he said. “I went out there and mustered up what I had left in the tank and the heart that I have. A lot of people would have quit, as much as I was hurt a couple of times. People have to respect that.”
The win over Rodriguez caps off a three-fight win streak for Herman, as he now holds a record of 26-14 (with 1 NC and 21 wins by stoppage).