Ed Herman’s resurgence? UFN 40’s Rafael Natal says ‘now it's my turn, not his’

Rafael Natal may have suffered a crushing first-round knockout loss to Tim Kennedy in his most recent fight, but the UFC middleweight isn’t dwelling on the past. He’s merely focused on what the future has in store.

It’s not that Natal wants to forget about the loss or believes it’s irrelevant. He just feels the odds were somewhat stacked against him by taking a short-notice fight on a military base against a former serviceman.

Few people would have defeated Kennedy in those particular set circumstances at UFC Fight Night 31 in November, but Natal isn’t making any excuses. In fact, he commends Kennedy for his ability to land a knockout blow.

“I think I had a good first round until I took a punch to the chin,” Natal told MMAjunkie. “That’s how MMA goes sometimes.”

While Natal is fine giving his opponent credit, he can’t help but wish he had more time to train. If he had a few more months in the gym to drill strategy, perhaps he would have more efficiently scouted Kennedy’s offensive tools and avoided the knockout altogether.

“I learned about that fight with very short notice,” Natal said. “The problem wasn’t the opponent I was facing; I’m willing to face anyone. The problem was having so little time to prepare. It doesn’t excuse my loss, though. Usually the UFC gives you three to four months to get ready. My fight with Kennedy was a mere two months after the previous one. I only had one week to rest.”

Short-notice fights are challenging for any competitor, but for Natal’s (17-5-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) next contest, a matchup with Ed Herman (21-10 MMA, 8-6 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 40 from Cincinnati’s U.S. Bank Arena on Saturday, the Brazilian had a full training camp to prepare.

Natal vs. Herman close out the night’s preliminary card, which airs on FOX Sports 2 and streams on UFC Fight Pass prior to the main card on FOX Sports 1.

Herman, a runner-up on “The Ultimate Fighter 3,” has been a mainstay on the UFC roster since 2006. Natal is excited to face a durable veteran who has name value in the UFC, but the 31-year-old believes his opponent’s time to shine is over. Now is his opportunity to step into the spotlight.

“Herman is undeniably a very tough and well-known fighter,” Natal said. “He’s well respected. I know he’s seeking resurgence in his career. Well, he can do that after he loses to me. He has everything to do well in our weight class, but now it’s my turn, not his.”

Natal has taken roughly six months since his most recent octagon appearance to take his game to the next level. Always a dangerous grappler, Natal has focused on the striking aspect of his offense, he said. He feels that evolution will be shown on Saturday when he delivers his best performance to date.

“We always learn the most after losses,” Natal said. “It’s been about six months since I fought. I took that time to evolve every facet of my game. I’ve improved my pluses and corrected my minuses. The fans will see the best ‘Sapo’ ever.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 40, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.