Outside Source
Even at 39 years old, Ed Herman still has a little something left in the tank.
“The Ultimate Fighter 3” finalist earned his second consecutive triumph at UFC Fight Night 163, as he captured a unanimous decision against Khadis Ibragimov in a featured light heavyweight contest in Moscow on Saturday. After enduring a three-bout skid from July 2016 to October 2018, “Short Fuse” has compiled his first winning streak since 2012 — and he had fun doing it.
Herman was able to dictate the pace and the range against Ibragimov, often battering his foe in the clinch against the fence. After three largely one-sided rounds, Ibragimov was bloodied and worn down.
“I’m a sucker for a good brawl,” Herman said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “I try to take less damage so I can kinda extend my career, work on my wrestling more. But I get caught in there bangin’. It’s fun. I felt I could knock him out, felt I was close a couple of times, but just couldn’t quite land that final shot.”
While Herman was happy with his performance for the most part, he admitted that traveling overseas took its toll on him.
“I was a little frustrated because I came in really good shape,” he said. “But I think the jet lag and the travel took some effect on me and I didn’t have that explosive energy in the later rounds. I wanted to finish him a couple of times. I could hear my coaches yelling to do stuff, but my body just wasn’t reacting.”
Some of that could also be attributed to the wear and tear of a long career. Herman doesn’t necessarily have a timetable for retirement, but he seems to appreciate the notion that each fight could be his last.
“I never know when it’s going to be the last one,” he said. “This could have been the last one, too. I’m not sure yet. I’ve gotta go home, hit the drawing board and think about it, talk to my family – because it hurts, man. I’m banged up. My hands hurt, my face hurts a little bit. [I’m] still pretty though, for 39. I’m getting prettier as I’m getting older.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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