Ed Herman

Ed Herman was one of the most durable fixtures in UFC history, a grinder from Team Quest who spent 17 uninterrupted years on the promotion's active roster from 2006 until his retirement in April 2023. Though he fell short in the TUF 3 middleweight finals, losing a close decision to Kendall Grove, he was signed anyway and built a career as a reliable, submission-focused light heavyweight and middleweight. With 15 of his 27 wins coming by submission (primarily armbars, rear-naked chokes, and heel hooks), Herman embodied the cerebral grappler, grinding opponents down and hunting the back with his black belt BJJ credentials.

Herman's career trajectory was marked by mixed fortune at the hands of top contenders. Early wins over respected names like David Loiseau, Scott Smith, and Joe Doerksen (a knockout avenging an earlier loss) established him as a legitimate finisher, not just a decision fighter. Yet losses to undefeated strikers like Demian Maia and, later, Derek Brunson and Nikita Krylov showed the limits of his striking defense and conditioning against elite light heavyweights. A rough patch in the mid-to-late 2010s saw him lose split and unanimous decisions to Gian Villante, CB Dollaway, and others, making him a symbol of the mid-card slog.

Herman's final act proved he still had gas in the tank. Between 2019 and 2020, he rattled off three consecutive wins, including a first-round finish of Patrick Cummins and a hard-fought third-round kimura submission of Mike Rodriguez. These victories reinvigorated his resume and gave fans reason to believe the veteran had another chapter ahead. But age and mileage caught up: losses to Alonzo Menifield and finally Zak Cummings (via knockout in the third round) closed the book in April 2023.

What made Herman matter, beyond his record, was his role as a company man and craftsman. He never chased clout, never drew scandal, and stuck with the UFC through lean years, building a library of technical grappling wins that earned him Submission of the Night honors and a reputation among connoisseurs. His retirement, shared with opponent Cummings on the same night, was a fitting capstone: two warriors on their last dance, walking away with their heads up.