“Big Nog” to Debut vs. Heath Herring at UFC 73

“Big Nog” to Debut vs. Heath Herring at UFC 73

UFC newcomer and PRIDE veteran Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (29-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his UFC debut not against Justin McCully and not against Brandon Vera. Instead, “Big Nog” will face MMA veteran and recent UFC acquisition Heath Herring (27-12 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who’s already been beaten twice by Nogueira.

The heavyweight bout takes place at UFC 73 on July 7 in Sacramento, Calif., according to UFC.com.

Herring made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 8 in January and dropped a lackluster unanimous decision to Jake O’Brien. However, he bounced back with a tough-fought decision victory over an improved Brad Imes last month at UFC 69.

“Big Nog,” one of MMA’s most-experienced and successful heavyweights, is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert. He’s posted previous wins over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Josh Barnett, Dan Henderson, Fabricio Werdum, Jeremy Horn and many other notables since he began MMA fighting in 1999.
And that’s why this bout confuses me.

The signing of Herring late last year was a lauded move. In an ultra-thin heavyweight division, he brought a veteran presence and name recognition. Despite the upset loss to O’Brien, Herring’s UFC 69 win earned him some credibility, and it’s quite conceivable that he could really build up his status in the UFC with a few additional wins over lesser opponents.

Sure, he probably won’t be on the same level as top contenders such as Filipovic, Vera, Andrei Arlovski or Fabricio Werdum, but he could probably headline a smaller UFC event against one of those guys if he were to string together a couple more wins in the Octagon. Fans know his name, and he usually puts on a good show — win or lose.

However, by pitting Herring against Nogueira and in all likelihood giving him another UFC loss, Herring’s stock will drop significantly. Unless he pulls off the upset, Herring will become filler for the heavyweight division and nothing more.

At this point, the heavyweight division just isn’t deep enough to toss aside marginal contenders, and barring an upset, that’s exactly what the UFC is doing with Herring.

Regardless, UFC 73 is shaping up to be one of the most talent-rich events in UFC history. In fact, the UFC recently released the official name for the event — “UFC 73: Stacked.”

UFC champion Anderson Silva will meet top contender Nate Marquardt in the main event, UFC lightweight champ Sean Sherk battles Hermes Franca in his first-ever title defense, and The Ultimate Fighter 2 heavyweight winner Rashad Evans faces UFC legend Tito Ortiz. (www.ufcjunkie.com) recently broke news of a Jeff Joslin vs. Chris Lytle bout that will also appear on the fight card.

good card! how much bitching do u think we are gonna hear from Crazy Horse the KO man when Nog the Groundman takes him down and taps him?

Big Nog is gonna break Herrings arm and tap his ass, hopefully Herring goes back to Texas and stays there.

agreed andy!

I challenge you to find anyone picking Herring!

JoeDaddy wrote:

I challenge you to find anyone picking Herring!

check out ufc's myspace group. i know you'll find a couple there! lol

You fight find a couple dudes in the UFC group that wanna "tap his ass" but aren't talking about fighting!! LOL-

yeah....there are some shitdivers in there!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Weasel greasing poo pushers, they all must be suckers for the Cro Cop and Herring Speedos-

Well this totally shits on the thought I had about Cro Cop making his comeback at 73 against big nog, perhaps CC will fight Vera.

Anyway I think big nog will take herring out, again. I see him being the next UFC heavyweight Champ.

Setting up for Cro Cop Nogueira 2. This is of course after CC beats gonzo in the rematch

It depends which Cro Cop shows up??? The head removal specialist or the guy who was a deer in the headlights??

Andy wrote:

It depends which Cro Cop shows up??? The head removal specialist or the guy who was a deer in the headlights??

I beleive it will be the head removal specialist and he's gonna be FUCKING PISSED

I'm sure he won't have any problem pulling the trigger on a guy who has already beat him, it should be nasty!!

Andy wrote:

I'm sure he won't have any problem pulling the trigger on a guy who has already beat him, it should be nasty!!

Nasty Like what rampage will do to liddell