After his rematch with Darren Stewart at UFC 263, Eryk Anders took home the victory but wasn’t thrilled about it.
On Saturday night, Anders and Stewart would meet in a rematch after their initial fight ended in an illegal knee that triggered a No-Contest result. While Anders nearly got the finish in their first fight, the second fight needed the help of the judges. Consequently, Anders would hand Stewart his second straight loss.
Admittedly, Anders says that the game plan for the rematch was quite similar to the first time they met back in March.
“The game plan was very similar. 205lbs really didn’t have an impact as I actually thought he was stronger in the first fight,” Anders reiterated to BJPENN. “But, for me, the one main thing I’ll take away is I had to win the fight in the third round. The third round was crucial. It was 1-1 going into the third, and there was no way you could score that fight but for me.”
Knowing he had to win the third round to secure the victory at UFC 263, Anders pulled off the unanimous decision win on the big pay-per-view card. Following the results of their second fight, Anders began to eye his next target.
Anders Targets Fight With Ed Herman Next
The light heavyweight insists that he missed a couple of opportunities last year. Although now with a big win over Stewart, Anders is in a better position to lobby for a fight of his choosing, so the former college linebacker did just that.
“Last year I missed some opportunities with Ed Herman and Antonio Arroyo so I’d like to get those back but I like the Herman fight,” Anders concluded. “It would be great if I can get that. I know Herman isn’t interested in fighting at middleweight, so I’d fight him at 205 but I like 185 a lot.” Anders concluded in an interview with BJPenn.com.
While Anders fluctuates between middleweight and light heavyweight, “Ya Boi” is aware that if “Short Fuse” would fight him that it would likely be contested at 205lbs.
After five fights were canceled for Herman in 2020, the 40-year old UFC veteran last picked up a win on September 12 against Daniel Rodriguez. Despite his inactivity, Herman is currently riding a 3 fight win streak.
Would you like to see a light heavyweight fight between Eryk Anders and Ed Herman? Let us know below!
