Fight booking is an art that largely goes unnoticed in mixed martial arts modern era. The sheer volume of athletes competing in the sport makes it difficult to book the perfect fight. Because of that when I see a matchup like Ed “Short Fuse” Herman versus Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch my heart fills with joy. Herman versus Boetsch is what you might call an old school matchup. Two wrestlers with ties to some of the sports most influential coaches and fight camps. As these two veterans of the sport ready to face off on January 17th at UFC Fight Night 81, the glory of this booking is not lost on me. I like to imagine UFC matchmaker Joe Silva patting himself on the back before he even wrote these names down on the same sheet of paper. Maybe this fight came to him in a dream, waking him up out of a deep sleep, he then frantically looked for a pen to write down his vision less he forget the perfect fight he had just dreamt up.
This fight will be Herman’s first inside the Octagon since returning to the Portland, Oregon area for training. After a four year stint in Colorado, Herman has returned to his home base and is training hard with Professor Fabiano Scherner at Gracie Barra Portland. The advantage of coming back to Portland is a big one for Herman; in northern Colorado, his gym, Trails Martial Arts, was the cream of the crop. In Portland however, Herman has the option of working with multiple elite mixed martial arts gyms along with many UFC and Bellator fighters. Throughout his career, Herman has relied heavily on his submission game and his crafty guard play has proven successful against top tier fighters. However, it isn’t that aspect of Herman’s game that excites me for this matchup, it’s his striking. Herman is an excellent kickboxer with legit knockout power. While he has been labeled a “submission guy”, Herman has always shown a willingness to stand and trade. Against Boetsch, his footwork and power will be very important, as Boetsch has show he can take a solid punch and will push forward to deliver punishment of his own.
Tim Boetsch was a long time student of Matt Hume at AMC Pankration in Seattle. Having spent years training under Hume, many anticipated that Boetsch would blossom under his tutelage. Unfortunately, he never seemed to find a rhythm in the cage while training in Seattle. Boetsch has mentioned in past interviews that the time spent away from his family in Maine made things difficult during fight camps and that he may have gotten away from the aggression that helped him find his initial success in MMA. He now trains with UFC veteran Marcus Davis and seems to be getting back to what got him to the big show all those years ago, violence. Tim Boetsch is called “The Barbarian” for a reason; when it comes to the savage nature of mixed martial arts, he is unrelenting. Whether he is on his feet or wrestling his opponent to the mat, Boetsch uses crushing strength to overwhelm his foe. Boetsch can grapple with the best of them; he is a four time state champion in Maine and wrestled collegiately at Lock Haven University. The power and skill of Boetsch have won him multiple fight night bonuses and he will most certainly be aiming to add another bonus to his list of UFC achievements.
This matchup makes me giddy. Why you ask? Because I know in this fight, I will see two guys who are less concerned with wins and losses and more concerned with pleasing the crowd. Because I know that Ed Herman is a guy who wants to finish fights; he will look for the win throughout the entire fifteen minutes. Because I know that Tim Boetsch has once again found the edge that earned him the nickname, “The Barbarian.” This fight just jumps out at me as one that will be worth watching. Maybe it’s a gut feeling, maybe it’s the old school fanboy in me, or maybe it’s because Ed Herman and Tim Boetsch have never sold me a bad product. Simply put, this fight was the perfect booking and I can’t wait to see it.
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