UFC 131 main card spotlight – Jon Olav Einemo vs. Dave Herman

At 36-years old, Norwegian heavyweight Jon Olav Einemo will make a belated UFC debut and the Golden Glory fighter has not been given an easy ride. Originally pencilled in to take on Shane Carwin, Einemo now faces fellow debutant Dave ‘Pee-Wee’ Herman in Vancouver having not fought in mixed martial arts since 2006.
A 6ft 6in grappling beast, Einemo made a single appearance in PRIDE when he took Fabricio Werdum to a competitive decision, one that he lost. After that, the Norwegian faced British veteran James Thompson whom he submitted with a first round armbar and has not fought since. Infamous for his impressive showings at the ADCC grappling championships in Brazil in 2003, Einemo will look to convert those skills to the UFC Octagon this weekend.
When you talk about heavyweight prospects, Indiana’s Dave Herman is right up there and following contractual problems with Bellator the 6ft 5in wrestler lays down some roots in the UFC this weekend. ‘Pee-Wee’s record is mainly dotted with aging veterans such as Ron Waterman and unheralded journeymen but in the past year or so Herman has upped the ante in terms of opposition.
In May 2010, Herman was disqualified from his fight against former UFC and PRIDE standout Sokoudjou due to illegal knees but ‘Pee-Wee’ bounced back with consecutive victories at the tail end of the year. A first round omoplata submission of Polish brawler Michal Kita in Bellator was followed by a unanimous decision over Japanese favourite Yoshihiro Nakao in December.
The Verdict: Read the rumours online and you’ll come away convinced that Einemo has reinvented himself as a destructive muay thai practitioner due to his training with Golden Glory in the Netherlands. This is, more than likely, a load of rubbish; Einemo has undoubtedly been working on his stand-up skills but come fight night there will be only one thought on the towering Norwegian’s mind and that won’t be to slug it out with Herman. The BJJ phenom only needs a few seconds on the mat to turn ‘Pee-Wee’ into a balloon-animal but getting him there could be tricky. Herman is a very adept wrestler, extremely quick and athletic for a big man and has some serious power in his hands and feet. Either way, we will witness the coming out party of a new contender in the UFC heavyweight division and I’m taking ‘Pee-Wee’ to rain on Einemo’s parade with a second round stoppage. Herman, (T)KO, 2^nd round.