If you find yourself scratching your head during UFC 131 when the graphic for the John Olav Einemo vs. Dave Herman fight comes up, you probably won’t be the only one.
Both men are making their UFC debuts in the heavyweight division but are being put on the main PPV card. Interesting choice, but obviously the UFC must know something about these guys that we don’t.
Regardless, here is a look at both fighters heading into this contest.
John Olav Einemo (7-1) – Originally scheduled to face Shane Carwin, Einemo now gets Herman. Despite significantly less fights in his MMA career than his opponent, Einemo has faced some tough competition, including Fabricio Werdum, who was his lone loss back in 2006. He hasn’t competed in MMA since 2006 but is a world BJJ champion and a tremendous submission fighter. Hopefully he will come into the fight with some striking ability and now be like Marcio Cruz.
Dave Herman (20-2) – A veteran of Sengoku, Herman is young with a lot of MMA experience. He is in good shape and can push a solid pace. His one recent loss was by DQ for an illegal knee to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, a former UFC light heavyweight contender. Herman does most of his damage with his striking, earning 14 KO finishes with five submissions. He has had just one win go to a decision.
Who Will Win: It’s one thing to be good at jiu-jitsu, it is another thing to be good at it in MMA. If Einemo can’t get Herman to the ground, he isn’t going to win. When someone is so one dimensional, it doesn’t tend to make for good results. I like Herman to fight through some early takedown and pulled-guard attempts and earn a KO over a tired Einemo in the third round.
