Heavyweight UFC debutantes Dave Herman and Jon Olav Einemo were not originally scheduled to face each other at UFC 131. Einemo was supposed to fight former title challenger Shane Carwin. Herman, meanwhile, had initially been booked to face Rob Broughton, then Joey Beltran.
But cascading cancellations, starting with headlining former champ Brock Lesnar's diverticulitis that pulled him out of the headliner and pulled Carwin up to the top of the card, have paired these two very different UFC newbies.
The 26 year old Herman, 20-2, was once the hottest heavyweight prospect in the sport. He ran up a 15-0 record and fought on Showtime for the now defunct EliteXC promotion. Then he lost a pick up fight in Japan and got into contractual difficulties with Bellator who kept him in limbo for around 18 months.
He also picked up a reputation as an incredibly talented but incredibly undisciplined fighter who barely bothered to train and tried out moves for the first time in the cage. Now that he's training with Team Quest he's hopefully improved his conditioning, but fans will be very sad if "Pee Wee" no longer throws wild flying kicks five times a round. He's got a good collegiate wrestling base to build on and incredible athleticism for a big man.
The 35 year old Einemo is a very different fighter. For one thing he hasn't fought in five years after racking up a 6-1 record. Prior to his layoff, he had established a reputation as one of the division's few serious submission artists. He does train with Holland's vaunted Golden Glory gym -- alongside K-1 champs like Alistair Overeem and Semmy Schilt -- so it's entirely possible his striking has improved dramatically in the past five years.
It's unlikely that the aging and rusty Einemo would be able to force Herman to the ground in a straight wrestling match, but in an MMA bout given Herman's wild, risk-taking style, Einemo has a slim chance at a take down. Keeping Herman down will be a next level of difficulty.
Look for Herman to use his speed and diverse striking arsenal to beat Einemo early. In the old days if Herman didn't put his opponent away early he could get into trouble as his frat house conditioning became exposed. Hopefully a new camp and a new more serious attitude have fixed those problems.
Aspect
Herman
Points
Einemo
Advantage
Range Fighting
Boxing
Wilding
1
Improved?
Herman
Kickboxing
Unique
1
Improved?
Herman
Wrestling
Very Good
1
Decent
Herman
Clinch Fighting
Dirty Boxing
Good
1
Eh
Herman
Thai Clinch
Hurtful
1
So So
Herman
Throws/Trips
Excellent
1
Good
Herman
Ground Fighting
Positional Control
Good
1
Very Good
Einemo
Top Game
Good
1
Excellent
Einemo
Bottom Game
Hapless
1
Ok
Einemo
Submissions
Limited
1
Dangerous
Einemo
Intangibles
Hungry
1
Rusty
Herman
Overall
Prospect
7/4
One Dimensional
Herman