UFC fighter admits ‘maddest two minutes I’ve ever had’ after wild ‘Banger’ battle
THE ULTIMATE INSIDER COLUMN: ‘The Black Country Banger’ Jai Herbert gets knocked down but he gets back up again as he welcomes newcomer to the Octagon in quick-hit thriller
Jai Herbert was happy to play spolier in Canada as he claimed another big win in the UFC(Image: Zuffa LLC)
Nobody puts ‘The Black Country Banger’ in the blue corner as Jai Herbert had the time – well, two minutes to be exact – of his life in Winnipeg.
The Wolverhampton lightweight was tasked with welcoming Mandel Nallo to the UFC, with the Canadian enjoying home advantage for his maiden walk to the Octagon.
However, Herbert used all of his in-cage experience – this was his 10th fight in the UFC, having made his debut in 2020 – to mount a stunning comeback, getting off the canvas several times and ending a thrilling back-and-forth fight by technical knockout in very short order.
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
The 37-year-old has been in the cage with some big names, including Ilia Topuria and Renato Moicano, but had never experienced a dance partner quite like Nallo, saying: “It was a bit of a mad fight. The maddest two minutes I have ever had. To be fair, I enjoyed it, but it was crazy.
“I have never had a fight like that before. I got dropped about three times, but came back and got the win.
“My game plan went out the window. What was in my head was that I was coming here to get the win. When he was hitting me, I was just waiting for my opportunity – and I cracked him and he went.
“I still had my wits about me when he was hitting me, but I had made a decision in there that I was going to win.
“He hit me, but he had to put me clean out because, if he didn’t do that, I knew I was going to come back and get the win.
“I have been doing this for years, I am a veteran. I have the skills, the heart, the belief and this win shows what I am all about. I want more fights, more money. That’s what I want and that’s what I need.”
Having come through UFC president Dana White’s Contender Series, Nallo, who was on a five-fight winning streak, was the main focus pre-fight, even walking out second and fighting out of the red corner, a privilege usually reserved for the more experienced or higher-ranked fighter.
Herbert, however, took it all in his stride and enjoyed playing spoiler at the Canada Life Centre, adding: “I noticed I was in the blue corner. I thought, ‘This is my 10th UFC fight and I’m in the blue corner and he is walking after me’.
“I appreciate that he’s from Canada and he got a real big cheer… I wouldn’t say I felt disrespected, but I was like, ‘These Canadians are going to see who I am. They are going to realise that I am the experienced one. I am the big dog in there, the main man’.
“I had to show them.”
UP NEXT: UFC Vegas 116, Sunday, 1am. Featherweights Aljamain Sterling and Youssef Zalal vie for title contention in the Apex main event.
MONEY MATCH: Raoni Barcelos (7/5) can break into the bantamweight top 15 with a win over Montel Jackson. Odds and full UFC betting available at boylesports.com
FINAL SAY: “It is looking good… once we get a deal done with him, we will announce it.” Dana White continues to tease the return of Conor McGregor.
