The next fight we are going to preview on the road to UFC Fight Night 15 could be billed as a possible “Loser leaves town” type matchup. Ed Herman versus Alan Belcher is a battle of two UFC middleweights trying to establish solid footing in the burgeoning talent pool of the middleweight division.

Herman (14-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) was a finalist for season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” losing a tough, back-and-forth decision to Kendall Grove. He was offered and signed a contract with the UFC regardless, and has had fluctuating results since. His first fight after the show, he was systematically taken down and submitted by a fighter who was offered a spot on the same season but passed, Jason MacDonald.

Herman seemed to finally find his stride as a UFC fighter in 2007 with 3 straight wins against increasingly tougher competition, culminating with handing Joe Doerksen his first knockout loss of his career. In came 2008 and a loss to Demian Maia at UFC 83. Not much to take from that loss, as Maia has been exposing everyone he has faced to possibly the best submission game in the middleweight division, if no the whole UFC. Herman has shown his best attributes are his wrestling and overall ground game with improving stand up. He has also shown he still has a way to go with his takedown and submission defense, as well as overall conditioning.

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