Heath Herring was born on March 2,1978 and is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division of Rizin.
34 Facts About Heath Herring
2.
Heath Herring's mother is a psychologist working for the Texas prison system and his father is an attorney who owns two different law firms.
3.
Heath Herring attended Amarillo High School and played competitive football while being pursued by the school's wrestling coach to try wrestling.
4.
Heath Herring initially resisted, but in his senior year Heath Herring began wrestling and qualified as one of the top ten wrestlers in the state for the state championships.
5.
Heath Herring is a longtime veteran in PRIDE, where he participated in 17 fights.
6.
Heath Herring was very popular with the Japanese crowd for his unique hairstyles and colors, as well as sporting a duster coat and cowboy hat to the ring during his entrances.
7.
Heath Herring made his promotional debut at PRIDE 9 against wrestler Willie Peeters and won via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.
8.
Heath Herring then followed this up with three more wins before being handed his first defeat in the promotion at the hands of Vitor Belfort via unanimous decision at PRIDE 14.
9.
Heath Herring followed this up with an impressive TKO win over Mark Kerr before receiving a shot for the inaugural PRIDE Heavyweight Championship.
10.
Heath Herring took part in the first PRIDE Heavyweight Championship fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira where he lost by unanimous decision.
11.
Heath Herring then bounced back, winning his next four consecutive fights before facing Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a rematch at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004.
12.
Heath Herring lost the rematch via anaconda choke submission in the second round.
13.
Heath Herring would make his last appearance for the promotion at PRIDE 28 on October 31,2004 against Hirotaka Yokoi and won via first-round TKO in under two minutes.
14.
Heath Herring parted ways with PRIDE in late 2004 because of management disputes.
15.
On December 31,2005, Heath Herring was involved in a memorable MMA moment during K-1's Dynamite 2005 show.
16.
Heath Herring reacted, delivering a right hook to the jaw of Nakao, knocking him down.
17.
Heath Herring was immediately disqualified and Nakao was carried from the ring.
18.
Heath Herring debuted in the UFC for UFC Fight Night 8 and lost on decision against Jake O'Brien after deciding to fight after being injured.
19.
On Saturday, April 7,2007, at UFC 69 Heath Herring faced off against The Ultimate Fighter 2 Heavyweight finalist Brad Imes.
20.
Heath Herring won the match by unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
21.
At UFC 73, Heath Herring lost via unanimous decision to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, but not before he landed a left high kick to Nogueira's head late in the first round.
22.
Nogueira was sent to the ground, visibly stunned, but Heath Herring did not engage him and attempt to finish the fight, opting to stand up shortly after the kick and beckoned Nogueira to stand as well.
23.
At UFC 82 Heath Herring won a three round split-decision against rising contender Cheick Kongo.
24.
Heath Herring said after the fight that he did not even train at all for the ground game.
25.
Heath Herring fought Brock Lesnar at UFC 87 after Mark Coleman was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury.
26.
Heath Herring was knocked down early in the first round with a straight right.
27.
Heath Herring was scheduled to fight Cain Velasquez at UFC 99, but was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed illness.
28.
Heath Herring stated in November 2010 that he wants to fight as soon as possible.
29.
Heath Herring was still under contract with the UFC and was expected to make his return.
30.
Heath Herring has taken up the hobby of playing poker since his retirement from MMA and is a commentator for Rizin Fighting Federation.
31.
Heath Herring faced Amir Aliakbari, an Iranian wrestling standout, in the quarter-final round of the openweight grand prix, replacing fellow former UFC fighter Shane Carwin.
32.
Heath Herring starred in Never Surrender, released by Lions Gate Entertainment in 2009 as well as Circle of Pain.
33.
Heath Herring has appeared in Hell's Chain, Unrivaled, Beatdown, and Division III: Football's Finest.
34.
Heath Herring was married when he was 18 years old and has a daughter, but the marriage ended in divorce.