Breaking: Ed Herman set to take on Zak Cummings in 25th UFC appearance at UFC Kansas City
Ed Herman is reportedly scheduled to return against Zak Cummings. The fight would mark Herman's 25th UFC appearance as a contracted UFC athlete. Herman will face Cummings in a three-round light heavyweight bout at the UFC Fight Night event in Kansas City on April 15th.
Herman's most recent fight was a unanimous decision loss against Alonzo Menifield in a light heavyweight bout in August 2021. Meanwhile, Cummings is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Alessio Di Chirico in a middleweight bout in August 2020, followed by a lengthy injury hiatus.
The UFC Fight Night event will be headlined by a five-round featherweight matchup between former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway and rising star Arnold Allen. The Ed Herman vs. Zak Cummings fight will also transpire at the event. Speaking of which, an Instagram post via the Iridium Sports Agency (Cummings' management) reads as follows:
"iridiumsportsagency #TeamIridium Fight News Our man @zakcummings hunts for his 10th @ufc victory vs. Ed Herman on April 15 #TheDarkside"
Moreover, as reported by MMA Junkie, several notable matchups too are expected to transpire at the UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Allen event. Some of the said UFC matchups, including the Herman-Cummings fight, have been listed below:
- Featherweight bout: Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
- Featherweight bout: Edson Barboza vs. Billy Quarantillo
- Bantamweight bout: Chris Gutierrez vs. Pedro Munhoz
- Flyweight bout: Matheus Nicolau vs. Brandon Royval
- Light heavyweight bout: Dustin Jacoby vs. Azamat Murzakanov
- Featherweight bout: Bill Algeo vs. TJ Brown
- Women's Strawweight bout: Bruna Brasil vs. Denise Gomes
- Women's Flyweight bout: Gillian Robertson vs. Piera Rodriguez
- Featherweight bout: Lando Vannata vs. Daniel Zellhuber
- Bantamweight bout: Danaa Batgerel vs. Brady Hiestand
- Women's Bantamweight bout: Joselyne Edwards vs. Lucie Pudilova
- Bantamweight bout: Gaston Bolanos vs. Aaron Phillips
- Light heavyweight bout: Zak Cummings vs. Ed Herman
A closer look at Ed Herman's 25th UFC appearance as a contracted UFC fighter
Herman made his official UFC debut at the TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) 3 Finale/The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock Finale event on June 24th, 2006. He faced Kendall Grove in the TUF 3 middleweight finals at the event and lost their fight via unanimous decision. Regardless, UFC president Dana White was impressed by Herman's performance and offered him a UFC contract.
Herman obliged and signed on as a UFC athlete. Following that, Herman has competed in 25 professional MMA bouts thus far, with 24 being under the UFC banner and 1 under the Strikeforce banner.
The Strikeforce matchup came at a time when the UFC was acquiring the organization and absorbing Strikeforce fighters into its fold. Presently, the 42-year-old Ed Herman boasts the longest uninterrupted tenure as a UFC athlete on the active UFC roster.