UFC on FOX 8 results/photos: Ed Herman outstrikes Trevor Smith for split call

SEATTLE – It took a little over two minutes for Ed Herman and Trevor Smith to forget everything they’d learned about defense and settle for trying to decapitate each other with one haymaker after another.

It mostly stayed that way for the next 13 minutes, until the final horn blew and Herman was declared the winner via split decision (27-30, 30-27, 29-28).

The middleweight bout was part of today’s UFC on FOX 8 event at KeyArena in Seattle. It aired on FX following additional prelims on Facebook and ahead of a main card on FOX.

The judges had their work cut out for them by the time the third round came to a close. Herman and Smith traded power shots on the feet and in the clinch, and even dabbled with a submission or two before it was all over. Each man got more than one chance to shake off a big blow and come back with one of his own, and in the end maybe the most impressive feat was that both remained conscious through it all.

By the time the three judges at cageside were consulted, however, no two had the same scores. It made for a somewhat fitting end to a wild and unpredictable bout – one where it seemed that either fighter might drop face-first into the canvas at any time, yet neither did.

“It was a battle – he was tough,” Herman said. “He rocked me a few times and he was definitely testing me throughout. He was taking my punches a lot better than I thought he’d be able to. I’m just happy I got the win and glad to get out of here in pretty good shape. I’m going to take a few weeks off and then get back to it.”

With the win, Herman (21-9 MMA, 8-5 UFC) gets his first victory since his submission of Clifford Starks in February of 2012. Smith (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) loses his second in a row with a loss in his UFC debut.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 8 results include:

• Ed Herman def. Trevor Smith via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
• Germaine de Randamie def. Julie Kedzie via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
• Justin Salas def. Aaron Riley via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Yaotzin Meza def. John Albert via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:49

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 8, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan and Steven Marrocco contributed to this report on-site in Seattle.