Hello once more, fans and friends. It’s my pleasure to welcome you back to the third day of my “UFC 143 Complete Collection” postings.
So far I’ve covered both the Facebook and “UFC on FX” preliminary cards, which feature a wide array of talent and at least one big “sleeper hit”. Now it’s time for the real meat of the series: Starting today, I’ll be counting down and covering the main Pay-Per-View fights.
Let’s begin with Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks.
In October of this year, Ed Herman will celebrate ten years spent actively competing as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. Herman was one of the standouts of the third season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He fought all the way to the finals, but would end up losing to Kendall Grove.
The highlight of Herman’s UFC career came in 2007, when he fought and won three times, with each victory earning him a post-fight award and bonus.
Currently, Herman is on a two-fight win-streak after returning from a major knee injury that sidelined him for almost two years. Both wins have been first-round finishes.
Herman’s opponent, Clifford Starks, made his UFC debut in October of last year, beating Dustin Jacoby via Unanimous Decision. Starks entered the Octagon with an unbeaten 7-0 record, having competed mostly in Arizona.
Of his eight victories, Starks has an even split between stoppage wins and decision wins.
Without a doubt, Ed Herman is the toughest test of Starks’ career so far. Herman has over three times as many pro MMA bouts as Starks. This will be Starks’ second fight in the UFC… It will be Herman’s twelfth.
So, as you might expect, I’m predicting that Herman’s experience will be too much for Clifford Starks.
Right now, all the stars are aligned for Ed Herman to go on a respectable comeback. He’s looked great since returning from injury, and he’s never really looked all that bad inside of the Octagon to begin with.
Herman has had several tough losses throughout his UFC career, but look at some of the names he’s lost to: Demian Maia, Kendall Grove, Alan Belcher, Aaron Simpson… At various times, all of those fighters were (and some still are) regarded as quality UFC competition.
With his record and his potential, Starks certainly has it in him to turn into quality UFC competition one day. But for right now, I think this is going to be a learning experience for him, and the first loss of his career.
I’m not saying that Herman will blitzkrieg Starks; I won’t rule that out, but I don’t find it the likeliest of all possible outcomes. Rather, I see Starks hanging in there and really testing out Herman, taking him to a tough decision.
But Herman’s versatility and experience will win out in the end, and he’ll continue to make good on a comeback that’s been pretty entertaining so far.
Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com