UFC Fight Night 40 Play-by-Play: Ed Herman vs. Rafael Natal

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Ed Herman vs. Rafael Natal

Round 1: They meet in the middle of the cage.  Herman inches forward.  Natal lands an outside leg kick.  Natal circles on the outside and lands another leg kick.  Natal goes to the body with a left hand.  Herman lands an inside leg kick.  Natal lands a kick to the body.  He delivers a heavy leg kick.  Herman throws a leg kick and Natal counters by sweeping Herman’s other leg and taking him down.  Natal works in Herman’s full guard.  He lands a short elbow.  Natal lands to the body and head.  Natal lands a couple of hammer fists.  Herman uses the cage to get to his feet.  Natal keeps the pressure on.  Herman takes Natal down.  He lands left hands.  Herman postures up and delivers a hard elbow.  Natal is cut.  Natal gets to his feet but eats a knee in the process.  The round ends.  Close round.  MMAWeekly scores it 10-9 for Natal with the leg kicks.

Round 2: Natal lands a kick to the body.  Herman responds with a solid left hook.  Natal continues to throw leg kicks.  Herman counters with a right hand.  Herman inches forward.  Natal lands an outside leg kick.  Herman moves in with a left hand.  Natal misses with a spinning back fist.  Herman presses forward.  Natal lands a left hook.  He changes levels and takes Herman down.  Natal lands a right hand.  Herman delivers an elbow from the bottom.  The referee stands them up.  Herman lands a leg kick.  Natal looks for a takedown.  Herman shakes off the attempt.  He presses Natal against the cage.  They exchange knees to the legs.  Natal circles free.  Herman delivers a kick to the body.  Natal ties him up.  They battle for position along the cage.  The round ends.  MMAWeekly scores it 10-9 for Natal.

Round 3: They exchange jabs. Herman presses forward.  Natal looks for a takedown, but Herman has none of it.  Natal switches stances.  He lands his jab.  Natal lands a left hand.  Natal has slowed.  Herman catches a kick and counters with a right hand.  Herman delivers a knee to the body.  Herman catches a knee to the groin.  He’s giving time to recover and the fight is restart.  Herman lands a knee followed by a combination.  Herman inches forward.  Natal has a new cut.  He lands a front kick to the face of Herman.  Herman eats it and presses forward.  Natal misses with a spinning back fist.  They clinch.  Herman turns and gets free.  Natal lands an inside leg kick.  He presses Herman against the cage.  Herman reverses the position.  They separate.  Herman looks for a takedown.  Natal defends the attempt.  The round ends.  MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Herman.

The judges scored the fight for Herman by unanimous decision.  The scorecards read 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

Ed Herman

“I just tried to keep the pressure on him and turn it into a street fight. I did that and I was able to win the fight. I wasn’t sure about the first round, but I thought I won the next two.

“Now I’m going to get healthy and get ready for my next fight.” 

Rafael Natal

“I thought I won the fight. You can never leave it in the hands of the judges. When I heard the first 30-27, I thought it was for me and I think he thought it was for me. But I don’t want to criticize the judges because they have a hard job and usually do a good job. But I was surprised by the decision.”

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