UFC 143 Results Recap: Ed Herman Vs. Clifford Starks

Image via Esther Lin of MMA Fighting

In the first bout of the UFC 143 main card, Ed Herman overcame some solid shots from his opponent and picked up a second round submission victory over Clifford Starks. Herman got off to a shaky start, looking to land uppercuts but eating big straight rights over and over from Starks. He was doing okay in the clinch, but at range he was getting busted up. He finally got a takedown late in the first, but was quickly reversed by Starks, who easily took the first round.

The second round was a different story though. Starks once again pushed it against the fence, but Herman scored a nice trip takedown, quickly advanced to mount, and once Starks flipped over Herman had it well in hand. The tap came soon thereafter. Starks looked quite impressive in the fight though, and the stock of both fighters is likely to go up in the aftermath of the bout.

What was the high spot of this fight?

Herman's beautiful trip that led to the finishing sequence.

Where do these guys go from here?

Herman has now won three bouts in a row since his two-year injury layoff, and has finished all three of the fights. He definitely had some trouble with Starks early, but weathered the storm and looked extremely impressive once he created an opportunity for himself. You'd have to expect that he'll get a fringe top-25 fighter for his next bout. The winner of the Aaron Simpson vs. Ronny Markes bout at UFC on Fuel 1 seems like a solid next opponent for Short Fuse.

Starks proved that he can hang (at least for a while) with a talented middleweight, and his striking looked much better than it did in the Jacoby fight. Perhaps he wasn't ready for a main card fight yet, but he does have the ability to be a solid mid-tier 185er in the UFC. A matchup with fellow Michael Kuiper, who also dropped his bout at UFC 143, would be interesting.

Watch it now, later or never?

Now. This was the only finish on the main card and maintained a good pace throughout. It's worth 10 minutes of your time.

More Bloody Elbow coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit in the full entry.

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