Jiu-jitsu works on Dave Herman, after all.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira proved it once and for all at UFC 153, threatening several times and finally scoring the armbar tapout win at 4:31 of round two.
Just minutes before, Nogueira had tried another armbar, but Herman pulled out, one of several escapes throughout the bout. But Nogueira, who has as many tapout wins as Herman has total victories, stayed persistent and finally got the position in a scramble, going belly-down for the finish.
“I feel so happy because this man said jiu-jitsu doesn’t work, and it’s a Brazilian art,” he said.
It was the first submission loss of Herman’s career, which dates back to 2006.
Herman never mounted much of an offensive threat against Nogueira, who even landed the fight’s best strike, a left hand that knocked Herman down.
Nogueira was competing for the first time since he had his arm broken by Frank Mir last December. Not surprisingly, the Rio crowd at the HSBC Arena exploded upon his victory.
The former PRIDE champ is now 34-7-1 with 1 no contest in his legendary career.
Herman lost for the third straight time in the octagon, as his career mark fell to 21-5.