Written by Scott Swerbinsky

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Ed "Short Fuse" Herman is a UFC fighter who starred on season three of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. He was considered to be one of the favorites going in to that season and lived up to the hype. Herman showed the all around skills that it takes to make it in the UFC.  Our resident fight doctor Scott Swerbinsky had a chance to talk to him this week about his young career and his upcoming fight at UFC 83. Ed "Short Fuse" Herman is a UFC fighter who starred on season three of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. He was considered to be one of the favorites going in to that season and lived up to the hype. Herman showed the all around skills that it takes to make it in the UFC.

Herman made it to the finals of the hit reality show and was defeated in a very tough hard fought match with Kendall Grove. He then went on to lose his next fight to Jason MacDonald, who at that time was not very well known. 2006 was a tough year for Herman losing his two fights in the UFC.

Fast forward to 2007 and Herman got on a roll. He looked to be an even more well rounded fighter and started to get his confidence back. He rolled thru three very tough guys in Chris Price, Scott Smith, and Joe Doerksen. The aggressive take no prisoners style of "Short Fuse" was back and better than ever.

Herman's first fight of 2008 will be taking place on April 19^th at UFC 83. He is currently training for Demian Maia and found a few minutes to chat with me about that upcoming fight and a little more.

SS: What's your thoughts on your upcoming fight with Demian Maia?

EH: I'll be looking to finish him and make him quit. I want to keep it standing. I'll have to be careful on the ground, he's a good grappler. He has a good style and is well known in the mma world but maybe not to the casual fans.

SS: What made you get into mixed martial arts?

EH: I was always watching it as a kid with my dad and my buddies. It was something I wanted to do but I figured it was too late. I moved to Portland, was able to sign up at Team Quest and have been getting my ass beat every day. I started training for fun at first and had my first fight at age 22.

SS: You were on season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter, what made you try out?

EH: I actually tried out for season one and didn't make it. They took some buddies of mine in Chris Leban and Nate Quarry over me. I kept working and season three turned into a great opportunity for me. I was able to make it and the rest is history.

SS: You're still training at Team Quest, one of the most respected camps, who are some of your training partners there?

EH: A ton of awesome guys. Chris Wilson, Matt Linland, Dennis Hallman, IFL champ Ryan Schultz, and Matt Horwich. The list goes on and on.

SS: Are there any guys currently fighting that you enjoy watching?

EH: Of course all of my teammates. Other guys would be the top fighters, Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Randy Couture. I love watching Randy continue to beat all the doubters.

SS: Who out there do you want to fight?

EH: All the guys who have beaten me. I'd love to fight Jason MacDonald again, and bad. Kendall Grove. Kazuo Misaki, he's a top ten guy I want to fight again. I just want to fight all the tough guys really.

SS: How long do you plan on staying in the fight game?

EH: As long as I can. I got a late start but plan to keep going as long as I'm successful and can stay healthy. I want to get on top and stay on top.

SS: I gotta ask, where did the nickname Short Fuse come from?

EH: That's a good story actually. My second or third amateur fight, I gave the announcer some cheesy nickname like "Ironman" Ed Herman. Chris Leban told the announcer to use "Short Fuse" instead. I had a hot temper back then and was easily excited, I had some road rage issues also.

SS: Thanks again for joining me Ed, I look forward to seeing you back in the cage.

EH: No problem, I just want to thank all my teammates and thank my sponsors, CondomDepot.com and Warrior wear.