In a battle of hard-hitting light heavyweights at UFC Moncton, Gian Villante edged out Ed Herman in a split decision.
Gian Villante and Ed Herman both for the past few years have been light heavyweights on the border of the rankings, but never have been able to make the next big step to become a contender. Despite both having good wins at 205 pounds, and having been in big fights, they’ve never had that trademark win. Going into UFC Moncton, both fighters were on the downslope, with each having lost three of four going into their fight tonight. There is a significant experience gap though, with Herman enjoying his 12th year in the UFC, and Villante having half of that experience in the Octagon.
The first round featuring some swanging and banging that would make Derrick Lewis blush. Both men came forward with little in the way of head movement and just started winging punches from the get-go. Villante at one point rocked Ed Herman and looked for the finish but Herman survived. Once recovered, Herman and Villante kept winging hooks until the round ended.
The next two rounds would feature super close exchanges in which many punches were inches away from being giant in the overall impact of the fight. Villante had a very badly damaged nose, mostly due to Herman coming in and out with nice hooks and having a very nice timing on his jab. Villante also landed some clean hooks.
While neither fighter got the decisive decision they wanted, they still put on a fun fight for the fans at Moncton. Ed Herman was certainly not happy with the judges’ call after the Fight of the Night worthy bout. After Gian Villante spoke of Herman respectfully, Ed proceeded to say, “I don’t know what fight the judges were watching,” before stating how great of an opponent Villante was.
Gian Villante def. Ed Herman by Split Decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
