Jai Herbert was looking to secure his first career UFC winning streak in his home country when he took on electronic Slovakian L’udovit Klein early on at the UFC 286 card.
Despite Herbert’s 2-3 record in the UFC, he has a tough schedule, with all three of his losses coming to top talent, including the undefeated Iliatopria and the currently ranked Renatomo. Icano. Herbert, who is also teammate of current welterweight champion Leon Edwards, speaks highly of Jay. Klein, on the other hand, came into the fight on a two-game winning streak after ruining a performance by Welsh top rookie Mason Jones in the final bout of his final UFC card in London; he hopes to do the same at UFC 286. matter.
Klein and Herbert played kicks immediately after opening glove contact, and both blocked their high defenders. They tracked each other and figured out each other’s rhythm in the first minute, until Klein grabbed Jie and made him fully armed. Herbert struggled to get up at first, but then several kicks hit Klein’s face. After three or four fell cleanly on top of the standing Klein, his right eyebrow opened by a large gash, he may have been injured and fell into Herbert’s guard, much to the delight of the London crowd. He got up quickly after that, letting the Englishman stand up. They got back together with a minute left when Herbert took a hard fall, which appeared to injure Klein’s head and body. Most of the first round was on the range and the tempo was slow, but Jai Herbert still seemed to earn some great moments on the ground and in the catch.
Early in the second round, Klein looked to be kneeling in a bend and Herbert grabbed him and pushed him against the fence, but they broke up after a short while. Klein pushed forward with pressure in the middle round, but not very fast. Jai Herbert made sure to stay out of range most of the time with his footwork. Herbert followed up with a knockout, but Klein blocked it with relative ease. Herbert started to hit the ball one after another, and while Klein was striding forward with his long legs, he kicked and kicked the Slovakian from the outside with a spin. Klein desperately bumped his elbow, and Herbert broke free. In the last 20 seconds, Klein clenched his fist again and hit the last big elbow before the end of the round.
The contest was so close that it appeared either the two sides were tied or that Jay Herbert took the lead at the start of the third and final round. The left-handed Klein stepped forward again and kicked Herbert a few more times. Herbert’s shot in the groin halted the fight, but as the fight resumed, Klein hit Herbert with a big knee. He followed, moved forward and dropped another, but Herbert then dropped one of his own in the scrimmage. Herbert tried to get more out of his hands, and he scored with his right hand.
Then, unfortunately, Herbert tried to knee Klein, but fell again to the groin. As a result, the referee deducted one point. During replays, it was questioned whether the knee was connected to the groin.
After the dunk, both fighters looked desperate. Suddenly, Jai Herbert tripped Klein on the mat, dropped his elbow from some awkward angles, and settled for a top-half defender. L’udovit tried to straighten himself up to his feet, but Jai was able to hold him as he landed. Herbert made a mistake, and Klein fell to the ground, only to be knocked down himself, and Herbert had to concentrate on leaning against the fence. Herbert got up, took advantage of the fence, then attempted a trip, but failed. However, he took advantage of this to gain access to the back lock, which he used to punch Klein until the bell rang. He definitely won the third round before the deduction was considered.
The referee’s decisions mattered in this match, and when Bruce Buffer read their verdict, it was indeed a draw, although one referee awarded it to Herbert, albeit with a point deduction. What is certain is that there will be intense discussions in the coming days over referee Rich Mitchell’s penalty.
Official Results: Jai Herbert vs. L’udovit Klein ends in majority tie (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)