Abbreviated Fight History: Heath played wrestled and played football in high school and earned a scholarship to West Texas A&M to continue playing foot ball. While in college, he started to compete in local MMA shows in his home state of Texas including the Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation (fought USWF leader Evan Tanner twice) and the World Vale Tudo Federation in Colorado. In 1999 Heath fought 13 times in a span of just 5 months. He competed in three 4-man tournaments (Superbrawl and the Bas Rutten Invitational) and two 8-man WVC tournaments and advanced to the final bout of all five events. The lone single bout he fought that year was in the Extreme Challenge against NHB “Ironman” Travis Fulton where Heath lost a decision. After the WVC tournament win (defeating Pride veteran “Dirty” Bob Schrijber in the final) Heath was scouted by Ron Nyquist and Team Golden Glory in Holland. This was also around the time when Heath moved to Erie, Pennsylvania to attend Gannon University and continue with his schooling. The Team Golden Glory fighters include Pride veterans Gilbert Yvel, Semmy Schilt, Valentijn Overeem and UFC veteran Remco Pardoel among others. Heath next appeared in the Too Hot To Handle promotion, battling Japan Open Vale Tudo and K-1 veteran Rene Rooze. The kickboxer got himself in foul trouble and Herring had another W. A trip to Moscow, Russia for a Pankration match (lost on a cut stoppage) proved to be a minor setback because a Pride debut was less than two months way. He has fought exclusively for the PFC for the past 3 years. Below are some of Herring’s more significant contests.
Herring/Tom Erikson: Heath’s first big test in the PFCs was at Pride 11 against RAW Team wrestler Tom “Big Cat” Erikson. Tom was punishing Heath on the ground for the first few minutes but Herring waited for his opportunity. When the fight went back to the feet, Heath exploded with strikes and finished Erikson on the mat with a rear choke.
Herring/Enson Inoue: At Pride 12 Herring faced former Shooto light heavyweight champion Enson Inoue and pounded the large Hawaiian with strikes for nearly five minutes before the bout was halted.
Herring/Mark Kerr: Heath’s stock was still high and his challenges increased, as he was pitted against PFC top contender Mark Kerr. Kerr had dominated position in round 1. Like with Erikson, a stand-up from lack of action rejuvenated Heath and in round 2 he was able to land a devastating head kick and finish Kerr with knees on the ground.
Herring/Rodrigo Nogueira: The match with Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira for the PFC Heavyweight Title at Pride 17: Championship Chaos was the best bout of Herring’s career and will undoubtedly go down as one of the best ever in Pride. Even in losing, Herring showed he belonged in the ring with Nogueira. Rodrigo dominated in both stand-up and on the ground but could not finish the young Texan.
Herring/Igor Vovchanchyn: At Pride 19: Bad Blood, Heath sent a message to everyone in the heavyweight division by beating Igor Vovchanchyn. I’m sure even Heath knows he didn’t face Vovchanchyn at his best but when the time came to throw down, he did what he had to stay alive in the division.
Herring/Fedor Emelianenko: In likely the most vicious beating Herring has ever taken, he battled Emelianenko Fedor at Pride 23: Championship Chaos 2. Heath never got started as the Russian used jackhammer fists to pound Herring into the ground and make him a bloody mess. There was nowhere for Heath to turn for most of the 10-minute period because Fedor was beating him to every move. Late in the round, an exhausted Fedor caught a few strikes from Herring but the serious damage had already been done. A stunned crowd, having seen the top contender thrown around like a rag doll, was speechless when the bout was called in between rounds due to the excessive bleeding and swelling of Herring’s face.
Herring/Mirko Filipovic: Herring looked flustered and unfocussed from the opening bell and paid for it. He kept shooting in for the takedown without relaxing. Granted Mirko is a devastating striker and worthy of concern, but the mindset of bringing “Cro Cop” to the ground seemed to overwhelm him and led to his demise. Filipovic looked good, avoiding takedowns and seizing the opportunities Heath provided en route to victory.
Herring/Norihisa Yamamoto: This was not the best showing for Herring. Taking a journeyman on the Japanese fight circuit 3 rounds is not a good sign. Heath’s striking was poor, especially given the muay Thai boxing talent he has at Golden Glory, and his groundwork was unimproved. He sank the choke late in the third and you have to give Yamamoto credit just for being there.
Herring/Giant Silva: Discussed under the “Giant” Silva bio.
Herring/Gan McGee: This one went the distance and many feel McGee had as much right to advance as Herring did. This also explains McGee’s alternate status. The fighters stood up for most of the round and traded strikes. Both had the advantage at times but McGee continued to keep his hands very low and reacted to what Heath was doing more than initiate attacks. When it did go to the ground, Herring was more active (and likely won the round) but neither looked entirely comfortable there. Herring also won round two simply due to being more active. The final round was clinch-intensive and Heath tried to take charge with punching combinations. McGee showed some spark and connected inside but both fighters were zapped and again Herring took the round because he stayed busy. Heath wins a split decision.
Also worthy of note: Herring battled Evan Tanner (loss/strikes-win/submission), Travis Fulton (loss/decision), Alexandre Ferreira (loss/decision), Bobby Hoffman (loss/decision), Bob Schrijber (win/strikes), Willie Peeters (win/submission) and Vitor Belfort (loss/decision)
Strengths And Weaknesses: Herring has good stand-up skills and a full arsenal of submission techniques. Heath has won via armbar, keylock, Kimura armlock and rear choke among others. He’s taken out quite a few opponents with strikes as well. When Herring is rolling on a full head of steam, he’s difficult to stop. Weight is often a factor in his advantage (except against Belfort of course). Heath can pound out a win on his feet but he is most devastating on the mat with knees to the head. Although it’s not necessarily what you’d call a weakness, Herring has been fighting a really tough schedule for quite a while. Since 2001, he’s fought Vitor Belfort, Mark Kerr, Igor Vovchanchyn, Nogueira, Emelianenko and Filipovic. Those are all former or current top 3 contenders in the division and he’s had just one “filler fight” in the mix (Iouri Kotchkine). With 2 straight losses, he showing signs of burning out and that explains his opponent today.
How He Can Beat Takahashi: With strikes. Heath needs to press Takahashi and score with punches inside. He was unable to do this effectively to McGee due to his reach but Takahashi is only 5’11 and Heath is 6’2. If he him is able to hurt him standing, he can take him to the mat and pound out a win.
YOSHIKI TAKAHASHI: Japanese freestyle fighter, karate practitioner, Fujiwara Gumi wrestler, International amateur wrestling champion, 1994 Towa Cup karate tournament winner, crowned 1st Pancrase Heavyweight Champion, UFC veteran, New Japan Pro Wrestling veteran, trains with Tasuya Iwasaki, Kengo Watanabe, Yuki , Kondo and members of the PancraseISM Gym, with a 26-17-3 record in MMA making his 1st appearance in the PFC
Takahashi/Katsuhisa Fuji: Takahashi battled the UFC 23 veteran in 2001 and became the 1st Heavyweight King of Pancrase with this victory. Yoshiki came out from the bell to strike, landing a solid left and right before chasing Fuji into the corner. Katsuhisa covered up as he absorbed knees to the head and was shoved through the ropes but avoided the floor., A wobbly Fuji reentered the ring and a slow sho, ot s, aw him eating punches from beneath Takahashi’s sprawl. A front headlock saw Fuji forced back through the ropes yet again. Once inside, Fuji threw a kick but Takahashi was stalking him and had the left hand cocked to end the contest at any moment. Katsuhisa fought his way out of one corner but backed himself in the next and a flurry ending in a left uppercut was all she wrote. In a minute twelve seconds, Takahashi was a King.
Takahashi/Marcelo Tigre: Both fighters come out swinging and Takahashi lands a solid leg kick that gets Tigre’s attention. Marcelo brings t, he action to the ropes and will not let go of them. They are separated, he is warned and the action continues in the center. Both fighters throw damaging knees but again it looks like Tigre is getting the worst of it. Marcello sets Yoshiki up with two nice knees and unloads on Takahashi in the corner. Yoshiki bobs and weaves out of much of the danger and fires back, his assault culminating in a front guillotine choke and a trip to the floor. Tigre pops out and steers the action on the mat back toward center. From inside Takahashi’s guard, Tigre blasts away and appeared to have the makings of a reverse neck crank that turned into a momentary eye gouge. They continue to exchange with Tigre seemingly growing , , weary of being in a stale posit, , ion and rises up to make space , , for body strikes. When he motions to push Takahashi’s head back to free himself, he rakes Yoshiki’s left eye with a twist of his thumb. The bout is called and Tigre is disqualified at 3:20 of the first round.
Takahashi/Semmy Schilt: This is just one of their three encounters and keep in mind Schilt is at least a foot taller than Takahashi. Yoshiki counters a right knee to the shoulder with an inadvertent fist to the groin. The fighters acknowledge the accident and the action continues. A takedown attempt from Yoshiki nearly buys him another knee to the face and they hit the mat with Schilt on Takahashi’s back. They go back to standing where Takahashi gets an easy takedown but is reversed and mounted. Tangled in the ropes, they are stood up and Takahashi mocks the giant, encouraging him to kick at the body. A poor kick from the Dutchman allows Yoshiki to bring Semmy to the mat and he keeps him floored until a stand up. A wild lunging punch gives Takahashi the entry he needs for another takedown but he finds himself locked up in Semmy’s half guard. A side headlock from Schilt forces a rope escape and Takahashi is brought down again with a knee to the body. Semmy locks him up but cannot seem to finish on the mat. They tangle in the ropes and are back on the mat in seconds but Semmy prefers to keep it standing, even when he drops Takahashi to the mat. A straight left hand sets up a right knee to the face and Yoshiki eats a few right hands on the mat until he cannot get up.
Takahashi/Wallid Ismael: Takahashi started the action by avoiding a takedown attempt and controlling Ismael on the mat with a handful of trunks. Ismael seemed to gas early, trying desperately to bring Takahashi down but the constant fence grabbing kept the Japanese fighter on his feet. When Wallid finally got Yoshiki away from the fence long enough to bring him down, Takahashi popped right back up. They restart in the center but Ismael looks spent and a half hearted exchange from the Brazilian sees him knocked to the mat. In response, Ismael puts his hand up and Takahashi thinks the bout may be over but they quickly continue. Wallid continues to push forward with flailing punches and is knocked off course or dropped with the crisp punches of Yoshiki. The Japanese fighter makes the Brazilian work for everything; when he can’t sprawl away from Ismael’s grasp, he grabs the fence to remain standing. About 6 minutes in the unthinkable happens; Takahashi has ripped the cup out of Ismael’s trunks (it can be seen dangling from his shorts) and begins punching Wallid in the groin. Ken Shamrock’s comment was great: “Everybody has their own way of doing things” he states with a laugh.
They continue to exchange in the side of the cage and Takahashi avoids yet another takedown by employing a textbook ankle pick that brings both fighters to the canvas. Yoshiki shows excellent base, standing in the guard and headbutts Ismael repeatedly, opening a small cut on the bridge of the nose. It is all Takahashi until the 1st period (12 minutes then) bell. In between rounds, Takahashi is warned repeatedly by “Big” John McCarthy about holding the fence. When he tells Ismael’s corner man Carlson Gracie Sr. that Takahashi will be fined, Allan Goes and McCarthy exchange words. John can be heard to tell Allan “How about you get the f**k out of my face?” after which Carlson Gracie pushes Goes away from the octagon by his face. Ismael comes out to the three-minute overtime period with his hands down. The round crawls until Takahashi nearly puts Ismael out of his misery with a good combination but almost ruins it with a kick to Ismael’s face while he was on the mat (and he did it with shoes on, definitely a serious foul). Ismael stumbles to his feet and eats punches until the end of the round. Takahashi takes a unanimous decision but pulls out of the 4-man tourney, never facing Lion’s Den member Jerry Bohlander. Bruce Beck’s parting comment to Shamrock was great as well; “ok Ken well get some rest and we’ll look forward to your thoughts later”. As if Shamrock was going to head off to some mythical “fighter’s lounge” and catch some z’s before returning to commentate another grueling bout. Great stuff.
Takahashi/Josh Barnett: The Open-Weight King of Pancrase met the Heavyweight King of Pancrase at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Ultimate Crush 2 show in a legitimate MMA match. Takahashi fought well with the significantly larger Barnett and lasted into the second round where he was submitted via triangle choke in October of last year. Barnett currently has the Open-Weight KOP title.
Also worthy of note: Takahashi battled Bas Rutten (loss/TKO), Vernon White (loss/decision, loss/KO), Ken Shamrock (loss/submission, loss/decision), Yuki Kondo (loss/submission), Masa Funaki (loss/TKO), Sanae Kikuta (loss/submission), Jason Delucia (loss/KO, loss/submission), Jason Godsey (loss/submission), John Lober (draw), Minoru Suzuki (win/TKO), Omar Bouchie (win/submission), Kei Yamamiya (win/submission) and Ryushi Yanagisawa (win/decision)
Strengths And Weaknesses:
Yoshiki is very creative and has displayed a “go for broke” style on numerous occasions. He’ll change gears in a fight at a moments notice and always seems to be in shape. He’s shown he can take the fight to his opponent and KO him as well as pacing himself and getting the late round stoppage or submission. He usually likes to get the bout over with quickly. As for a weakness, he is sometimes drawn in to his opponent’s strength and pays for it as his numerous losses will attest to. His record is not stellar but by his list of opponents, it is obvious he fights anyone and will give everyone a fight.
How He Can Beat Herring: On the mat. Yoshiki is a far better submission fighter than Herring. Although he has shown an inclination to stand and trade, this bout is for a tournament and he should do what he does best quickly. If he brings Heath down, the opportunity to submit him with present its self and he’ll move on to the quarterfinals in June.
MY PICK: Takahashi. I don’t think Heath is getting the most out of his training recently. This is the same kid we were wowed by before the Nogueira loss and look at him now. He’s only 26. He’s in the same boat as Vitor Belfort as far as resurrecting his career and they are the same age too. As for this bout inn the tournament, Heath hasn’t shown the desire or skill to do it when it really matters. Takahashi is a guy nobody expected to even be in this tournament. Beating Herring could be huge for him and not just as it applies to this tournamentfeel it will be Takahashi by decision after the 3rd Rd.