Ed Herman Draws New Opponent, Remains on UFC 167 Fight Card

Ed Herman had his original UFC 167 opponent pulled from the fight, but he will remain on the promotion’s 20th Anniversary fight card.

UFC officials on Wednesday revealed to UFC Tonight that Herman will now face Thales Leites at UFC 167 on Nov. 16 in Las Vegas.

He was originally slated to fight Rafael “Sapo” Natal. When Tim Kennedy’s UFC Fight for the Troops 3 main event opponent, Lyoto Machida, was tapped to step in for an injured Michael Bisping, the dominoes fell.

Natal landed in the Nov. 6 main event opposite Kennedy, Machida now faces Mark Munoz at UFC Fight Night 30, and Herman squares off with Leites.

Herman (21-9) is coming off of a decision victory over Trevor Smith at UFC on Fox 8 in July. That fight represented a rebound from disappointing back-to-back fights. He had a loss to Jake Shields turned to a no contest when Shields tested positive for a banned substance after the fight, and then lost to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza on the final Strikeforce event in January of this year.

Leites (21-4) returned to the Octagon in August after a four-year absence to defeat Tom Watson by unanimous decision at UFC 163. That victory increased his current winning streak to four consecutive bouts.

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre puts his belt on the line in the UFC 167 main event, when he faces No. 1 contender Johny Hendricks.