Herring is an MMA fighter who is well versed in wrestling, sambo and muay thai. He has powerful knees and strong front kicks, as shown in his fight against Mark Kerr. He currently lives in Las Vegas and trains at the Las Vegas Combat Club.
Herring is known for odd hairstyles and wearing a leather cowboy hat and trench coat to the ring. His appearance is very popular among the Japanese crowd.
Herring was long suspected to be an acquisition of the UFC's purchase of the World Fighting Alliance. Herring had signed a contract with the WFA in 2006, and it was soon confirmed that he had become integrated into the UFC roster following the WFA buyout. He lost in what many considered an upset, to Irish Jake O'Brien via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 8, his UFC debut.
New Year's Eve Kiss
Herring was involved in a memorable MMA moment on December 31, 2005 during K-1's Dynamite 2005 show. During the pre-fight staredown, his opponent, Yoshihiro Nakao, leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Herring reacted delivering a right hook to the jaw of Nakao. Herring was immediately disqualified and Nakao was carried from the ring. Shortly thereafter, Nakao's cornermen attacked Herring and a brief melee ensued. The fight result has since been changed by K-1 from a disqualification loss for Herring to a no contest, as K-1 judges ruled that Nakao's kiss and Herring's subsequent knockout punch were both fouls. [1]
A video clip of the incident became an Internet meme shortly afterwards. [2]
