Why does the UFC hate Ed Herman?

[pankrat]

It’s semantics I guess. One man’s journeyman is another man’s respected veteran.

The term journeyman originated in team sports and referred to a veteran who has bounced around among a bunch of different teams. Good enough to stick in the league, not good enough to be needed by one team indefinitely.

I’d probably think about it this way:

1. Champions (St Pierre, Silva, Johnson, Jones, Holloway, Aldo etc.) When you think of them you think of a champion.

2. Perennial Contenders (Edgar, Mendes, Dos Santos, Romero, Rockhold, Rashad, Ferguson, etc.) Always been very good. Easily could have had a title, or maybe did have a title. Only lose to very, very good opponents.

3. Perennially Ranked (Cerrone, Matt Brown, Masvidal, Bisping, Koscheck, Fitch, Florian, Condit, Diaz Brothers, Maia, etc.) Spent the vast majority of their careers as ranked, main card fighters. Looked like a contender at some point. Might have gotten a title shot (or even grabbed a belt for a second). But never really seemed like a champion. Have some losses to guys outside the elite.

4. Respected Veterans (Jim Miller, Diego Sanchez, Guida, Stephens, Leben, Kampman, etc.) Long tenured guys who have had some good moments. You never see him on a card and say, “he’s still in the UFC?” Probably never got a title shot (I know Diego did. Plenty of losses but also plenty of wins. Could show up on a main card or an undercard.

5. Journeymen (Paul Taylor, Paul Kelly, Bryan Barbarena, James Krause, Aubin-Mercier, Lando Vannata, John Makdessi, etc.) Guys you’ve heard of but wouldn’t have blinked if their contract wasn’t renewed at any given moment.

6. Random Guys. They’ve fought in the UFC. Their name would be familiar to you, maybe. But they’ve never been anywhere near the rankings or anyone’s radar.

I think Ed Herman is category 5.

The guys you label as "perennially ranked", which I call gatekeepers, I would place them in the second group. Guys as Fitch or Koscheck, who has contended for the belt twice, are contenders. Period.

The guys you name in the 4th group are gatekeepers. At least they were so while in their prime, which is when they build their name. If they kept fighting despite declining in a late stage of their careers is another story.

And Herman is a respected veteran. In my book, journeymen dont hang in the ufc for 10+ years. They get beat by the respected veterans that are able to hang for so long.

 

[Werdun]

Dan Kelly has a win of a UFC HOF inductee. Let that sink in for a moment you bitter little brat. A good 10 people have told you exactly why Ed isn't in the game. He is irrelevant. Nobody gives a fuck about him apart from you.

Thats a lie. This fight was the co-main event for me.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

That one fight he won via heel hook is amazing. Ive rewatched it at least 5 times (still cant remember the opponent lol).

Anyone who likes grappling should check it out.

The main thing I remember when I hear the name Ed Herman is his being a part of Maia’s 5-fight submission streak to begin his UFC career. Technical sub via triangle, just epic. (The Sonnen throw straight into a triangle might have been even better though)

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

The guys you label as "perennially ranked", which I call gatekeepers, I would place them in the second group. Guys as Fitch or Koscheck, who has contended for the belt twice, are contenders. Period.

The guys you name in the 4th group are gatekeepers. At least they were so while in their prime, which is when they build their name. If they kept fighting despite declining in a late stage of their careers is another story.

And Herman is a respected veteran. In my book, journeymen dont hang in the ufc for 10+ years. They get beat by the respected veterans that are able to hang for so long.

We could certainly add more categories and subcategories, and I’m sure we could quibble about the names in each. It was just a quick attempt to explain how I think about guys like Herman.

 

[Fahcough]

Herman is like if Bobby Budnick grew up and fought mma

Is that a Salute your shorts reference?

Donkey Lips approves

 

[Thunderchild]

Herman is like if Bobby Budnick grew up and fought mma

 

[VinceArch]

I remember when he fought Kendall Grove. What a BS decision that was.

 

[Sjb1888]

I don't understand why he's still in the UFC. Seeing his name on a card does nothing for me.

I know what you mean, but at least it's a name you recognize...

 

[DarkneT]

I remember Herman going over to fight Jacare in Strikeforce on short notice right after the UFC bought them out. I knew he was going to lose but I respect the fact he took a fight that dangerous in smaller org like that.

Yeah agree and Came to post that for the haters
That was gangster shit

 

[BEATDOWNS]

Just want to stop in and say hello and that I agree. In the betting sub forum I recommended Ed as a great dog play at +210 and even said his KO line at +600 had great value.

See, I post about all sorts of stuff that has nothing to do with Tony.

Whoa back off! I didn't say anything bad about Tony!

hehe

I remember when he fought Kendall Grove. What a BS decision that was.

I haven't seen it in awhile but i remember thinking he won. He did get a contract though ala Bonnar/Griffen but yeah that is great underrated fight.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

He's been around forever but he never seems to do anything noteworthy in his fights that make you remember him. He's just so easy to forget. Dana and the UFC probably don't even know he's still part of the roster at this point.

His most exciting fight was his close decision loss to Kendall Grove something like 13 years ago.

 

[Cherry]

Nah, Herman beat journeymen, usually finish them.
Its not like you have either top contenders or journeymen in this game

His best wins are against other journeymen lol. Noke, Natal, Trevor Smith. He did beat Boetsch who went on a bit of a run back in like 2011, but that win was coming off of two brutal losses to Hendo and Leites, so Tim wasn't exactly at his best.

He's an above average journeyman how about that?

 

[Tuf_guy]

My guess is that somewhere along the line he turned down a sexual advance from Dana or one of the Fertittas.

You never do that. Career suicide.

It was probably something as simple as a footjob, too.

 

[pankrat]

We could certainly add more categories and subcategories, and I’m sure we could quibble about the names in each. It was just a quick attempt to explain how I think about guys like Herman.

His best wins are against other journeymen lol. Noke, Natal, Trevor Smith. He did beat Boetsch who went on a bit of a run back in like 2011, but that win was coming off of two brutal losses to Hendo and Leites, so Tim wasn't exactly at his best.

He's an above average journeyman how about that?

So you just named two guys who have been ranked in the UFC. And didnt count Cummins.

Not saying that anyone ranked in UFC is a potential champion, or a contender, maybe not even a gatekeeper, but journeyman? Nah

In my book, journeymen are the guys used to fill the Bellator cards, for example, or pretty much any other promotion.
If Herman went to Bellator he is game enough to be fighting for the belt sooner or later, or at least in tittle eliminators. Same if he went to any other promotion in America, or just about anywhere.
Not exactly what I call a journeyman

 

[Deleted member 510653]

 

[BEATDOWNS]

Is that supposed to be funny? Go ahead make your jokes Mr. jokemaker...

 

[Tsar]

I don't understand why he's still in the UFC. Seeing his name on a card does nothing for me.

I always tune in for the guys who have been around since the early days. Yeah, he's slow plodding. I don't give a shit.

 

[Hellhammer84]

I remember when he fought Kendall Grove. What a BS decision that was.

That was actually a bad ass fight. Short Fuse showed a ton of heart

 

[Mmmmmmma1234]

They should replace him with someone who actually has a chance to accomplish something in the sport. Herman is a known commodity. A low level fighter destined to stay at the bottom of the division.

UFC likes to keep a few of these guys around as a benchmark for the fighters who have a chance to accomplish something, because if you can't beat Ed you don't belong at all in the UFC.

 

[Mmmmmmma1234]

Noobs



I just went through UFC 3 roster (mw/lhw) they have guys like

Daniel Kelly
Sam Alvey
Cezar Ferreira
Jan Blachowicz
CB Dollaway

Gian Villante and the guy Herman just destroyed yeah that's righ Patrick Cummings. Also It can be Argued he beat Villante as well, i believe he did.


With guys like that in the game surely they could have put a Veteran like Ed in there.

I could be wrong and maybe for a hot minute ed was ranked, but everyone you listed there is/were ranked ufc fighters for at the peak of their careers. Ed was never able to accomplish that.

Also with the fights last weekend Ed was about 8th on the list of people who should get a POTN bonus.