After living the MMA version of 'Saving Private Ryan,' Rizin FF 5's Heath Herring prepared for onslaught

Heath Herring likens the first round of his first MMA fight in eight years to the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. Thrust into a sudden explosion of violence, he was forced to adapt – quickly.

Eight years had passed since Herring stepped into the ring against Amir Aliakbari, a world champion wrestler who’d missed out of the 2012 Olympics due to a doping violation. He’d had only two weeks to prepare for the Rizin open weight grand prix, a competition he’d rejected offers to join because, well, he hadn’t fought in eight years.

To say Aliakbari gave him a rude awakening would be an understatement. The wrestler savaged him on the feet and on the mat with dozens of punches. Other fighters might have capitulated, but Herring, a veteran countless high-profile fights in PRIDE’s heyday, managed to survive.

“I remember walking back to my corner, and (UFC heavyweight) Roy (Nelson) was in my corner, and I looked at Roy and I was like, ‘Well, that sucked,'” Herring told MMAjunkie Radio. “And he was like, ‘Yeah, that sucked.'”

But with all that ring rust knocked off, Herring adjusted. Aided by Aliakbari’s fading cardio, he staged a counterattack that had his opponent in trouble. Many thought the fight should have been given a third round, but instead, Aliakbari took home a unanimous decision.

“I think it’s hard to underestimate eight and a half years,” Herring said. “It had been eight and a half years from my last fight. And then you’re jumping right in there with kicks to the ground and all that. The only way I can explain is that scene when they run off the boat, and it’s like, ‘Uh-oh! We better figure this one out.'”

Herring had no plans of coming out of retirement after a stint in the UFC, which ended with a lopsided decision loss to Brock Lesnar and his supposed retirement. But the thought of coming off the bench on a lark, only to slink back into obscurity, didn’t sit right. So he volunteered to get back in that ring.

On Saturday night (or Sunday with the time difference), Herring (28-15) returns in a fight against fellow vet Satoshi Ishii (14-7-1) at Rizin FF 5: Sakura. The preliminary-card bout streams on FITE TV.

“It was nice to jump back in there with a guy that’s been active – without much training – and put up a decent fight,” Herring said. “Even just for my own personal feeling, I want to know what it’s like to get a full training camp and get in there. And Ishii is a tough opponent. I’m definitely not underestimating this guy. It’s a great opportunity to fight a guy in his home country.”

Flying back to Japan gives Herring a surreal feeling after so many years of making the trip for PRIDE. And while Saturday’s fight is more about personal goals than professional ones, he doesn’t rule out the idea of continuing on. He just wants to know if his most recent fight was a signal that his decision to bow out was the right one, or if he just needed a change in circumstances to reach his potential.

At least physically, Herring said he’s been surprised how good he feels after spending so many years on the bench.

“I feel very fortunate,” he said. “All the guys at Xtreme Couture have really taken me under the wing. Roy Nelson is my steadfast sparring partner and helps me out with everything he can. It’s been great. Obviously, Roy is fighting the same night, so our camps couldn’t have overlapped any better.”

Nelson won’t be in Herring’s corner to tell him he sucked, or did a good job. A fight with Alexander Volkov beckons at UFC on FOX 24. As with any fight, Herring will have to make adjustments on the fly.

But this time, Herring will be a little more prepared for the storm ahead.

“Now that I’m back training, it was always in the back of my mind, with the way things ended, where I had some issues with other promoters,’ he said. “But now that I’m back training and my body’s holding up, and I’m training with guys that are at the top of their game and doing well, I’m like, I can definitely compete and do this.”

For more info on Rizin FF 5, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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