Despite the fact that big Nog had already beat Herring twice the UFC scheduled the two men to fight on the UFC 73 card. People expected this fight to be a steam rolled lopsided victory with Big Nog smashing Heath, but it surprised everyone when Herring landed a kick that sent Minotauro to the mat. If Herring had pounced on his opponent instead of letting him recover the fight may have gone the other way. Instead of attacking hearing let his downed opponent, he let him stand and with little time in the round left Nog survived the round.
During the end of the 1st round and the beginning of the 2nd round Heath could have made a break for a win, but his tentative behavior cost him his chance. Despite the 2 minutes that left us on the edge of our seats the rest of the fight was paced and one by Big Nog. When they went to the ground early in the 1st Big Nog was close to finishing the fight with a neck crank, but Herring showed poise and escaped. Herring to his credit did a fantastic job of surviving Nogueira’s submission attempts that have been credited to defeating top fighters like Cro Cop, Dan Henderson, and even Herring himself. With his first fight in the UFC being an exciting one we are all looking forward to Big Nog’s next appearance and a long stay with the UFC.
The final round again went to Big Nog with some impressive jabs, some take downs, and a nice ground game that left Heath bruised. It will be interesting to see who Big Nog will be put up against next. As impressive as he is Big Nog did leave some questions for the U.S. crowd, but I’m sure this great fighter will show us all why he remains one of the worlds best, and most respected fighters. Again this is another fighter Sinister loves to support and we all are looking forward to seeing more of this guy!
|
