Early career Following a 2–0 amateur career, Herman made his professional mixed martial arts debut on December 31, 2006. He quickly amassed an undefeated 11–0 record, fighting 10 times throughout 2007, and went 13–0 before actually joining an
MMA gym and officially begin training. In 2008, Herman signed with the now defunct
EliteXC organization. He debuted on the undercard of
EliteXC: Street Certified, defeating Mario Rinaldi via
TKO. His second bout came at
EliteXC: Return of the King, where he defeated
Ron Waterman via TKO. He next faced
Kerry Schall in the main event of
ShoXC 9, which would ultimately be the final show by the company. Following the dissolution of
EliteXC, Herman fought for a variety of promotions including
Bellator Fighting Championships,
Shark Fights and
World Victory Road. Korean fighter
Mu Bae Choi handed him his first loss in Japan on January 4, 2009, fighting in the
Sengoku promotion. In his next fight Herman defeated
Jim York at Sengoku 11. In 2010, Herman became entangled in a lawsuit with Bellator that kept him out of action in the United States for just over a year. Once the legal issues were settled, Herman was scheduled to face
Ricco Rodriguez at
Bellator 31 but Rodriguez pulled out of the fight due to a knee injury. Michal Kita stepped in, and served as Rodriguez's replacement. Herman defeated him via first round submission. Herman received his second loss after being disqualified for illegal knees to
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Herman then faced
Yoshihiro Nakao at World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight. He won the fight via decision, the first fight in his career to go the distance.
Ultimate Fighting Championship Herman was expected to make his promotional debut against
Rob Broughton on June 11, 2011, at
UFC 131. However, in late March, Broughton was replaced in the bout by
Joey Beltran. When
Brock Lesnar pulled out of his main event fight with
Junior dos Santos,
Jon Olav Einemo's original opponent,
Shane Carwin, stepped up to replace Lesnar against dos Santos. Herman instead fought fellow UFC newcomer Einemo. Herman defeated Einemo via TKO (punches) at 3:19 of round 2 in a back and forth bout that earned
Fight of the Night honors. Herman was scheduled to face
Mike Russow on October 8, 2011, at
UFC 136. However, the bout was cancelled after Herman failed his preliminary drug test in which he tested positive for marijuana. Herman denies using the prohibited substances. Herman fought against
Stefan Struve on February 15, 2012, at
UFC on Fuel TV 1. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Herman replaced
Gabriel Gonzaga to face
Roy Nelson on May 26, 2012, at
UFC 146. He was defeated via KO in 51 seconds. Herman next faced
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira on October 13, 2012, at
UFC 153. Herman was submitted by Nogueira via armbar in the second round, receiving the first submission loss of his career. Herman tested positive for marijuana for the second time after failing his post-fight drug test for
UFC 153. He was suspended for six months and ordered to undergo treatment. The suspension was lifted in April 2013. Herman was expected to face
Shane del Rosario on July 6, 2013, at
UFC 162. However, del Rosario was forced off the card due to injury and replaced by
Gabriel Gonzaga. Herman lost the fight just 17 seconds into the first round by TKO. After losing four fights in a row, Herman was released from the UFC.
Titan Fighting Championship On January 28, 2014, it was announced that Herman had signed a contract with
Titan Fighting Championship. Herman was expected to face
Kalib Starnes at Titan FC 28 on April 25, 2014. However the event was delayed until May 16, 2014. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Herman was expected to face Walt Harris at
Titan FC 30 on September 26, 2014. However Harris was forced out of the bout with a back injury and the fight was then rescheduled to take place at Titan FC 32 on November 20, 2014. However the bout was scrapped after Harris re-signed with the
UFC. Herman was then expected to face
Jon Madsen for the Titan FC heavyweight championship at the event. On November 4, 2014, it was announced that Titan FC 32 would be postponed to December 19, 2014, and would be moved from Augusta, Georgia to Lowell, Massachusetts. Herman subsequently pulled out of the bout due to an injury. ==Personal life==