Ed Herman Revives His Career with a KO over Tim Credeur at TUF 13 Finale

After being Ken Shamrock's final pick on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, Ed "Short Fuse" Herman went on to drop a close decision to Kendall Grove in the finale. Since then, Herman has dealt with many ups and downs—going just 4-4 in the UFC before his bout with Tim Credeur.

In his fight with Aaron Simpson on August 29, 2009, Herman suffered the first of two knee injuries that would keep him out of action for nearly two years. In that time, Herman also made a big decision to leave Team Quest in order to open his own gym in Fort Collins, Colorado with teammate Ryan Schultz.

There were a lot of questions surrounding Herman in his return to the UFC at the TUF 13 Finale. While 46 seconds may not have been enough time to answer all of them, it is hard to imagine it being any more decisive.

With his first victory since UFC 97 on April 18, 2009, Herman finished "Crazy" Tim Credeur via two uppercuts in the clinch and subsequently followed it up with four uncontested shots on the ground that had his opponent's head bouncing off the canvas. It was the first time since August 22, 2006 that Credeur was stopped.

Although it is difficult to judge where this fight now leaves him in the middleweight division, Herman controlled the pace and was clearly the aggressor, as he had Credeur backpedaling for the entirety of the bout. Despite a two-year layoff, "Short Fuse" looked relaxed and confident.

While Herman was triumphant, the duration of the bout still leaves some unanswered questions regarding his cardio, which has been an issue in the past. Herman's ground game was also not on display, as the fight took place entirely on the feet. Submissions have been a bit of an issue for the Washington native—nearly being submitted several times in his bout with Kendall Grove, and losing via triangle choke to both Demian Maia and Jason MacDonald.

Still, at only 30 years old, Herman has accumulated a lot of experience inside the octagon and has fought some of the best fighters the middleweight division has to offer. Although he may be several victories away from title contention, "Short Fuse" has proved to be a tough fight for anyone.

The fight, in addition to the rest of the event, can be viewed at ultimatefighter.com.