David John Herman (born October 3, 1984) is a retired American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

, who competed in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...

division of Titan FC, UFC, Bellator,

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

, World Victory Road, ShoXC, and Shark Fights. His nickname "Pee-Wee" is a reference of the character

Pee-Wee Herman Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his films and television series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that q ...

, created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens.

Background

Herman was born in

Columbia City, Indiana Columbia City is a city in Columbia Township, Whitley County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 9,892 (2020 Census), growing by 13% since the 2010 Census. The city is the county seat of Whitley County. History The Whitley Count ...

and raised in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

, attending Concordia Lutheran High School. At Concordia, Herman participated in various sports including football, track and field, and cross country. He also competed in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

for one month in his sophomore year before being expelled from the school. After taking his GED as a junior and spending a year at IPFW, Herman transferred to

Indiana University at Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest cam ...

, which has a Division I wrestling program. Despite having basically no

high school wrestling Scholastic wrestling, also known in the United States as folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practiced at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially collegiate wrestling wit ...

experience, Herman competed for Indiana as a walk-on and excelled, competing for three full years and part of a fourth year. He red-shirted his first season which was from 2003–04 and held an impressive 28–9 record in his second season. He then claimed the exclusive starting role in his third season, holding a 28–16 record and qualifying for the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

tournament, in which he went 2–2. In a 2006 pre-season ranking, Herman was placed as high as eighth in the nation. In his fourth season Herman started off the season flawlessly, winning a tournament in November, but left a week later with no explanation for his departure, and later graduated from the university with a degree in general studies. Herman began training in mixed martial arts after watching one of his former college teammates train in the rising sport.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Following a 2–0 amateur career, Herman made his professional mixed martial arts debut on December 31, 2006. He quickly amassed an undefeated 11–0 record, fighting 10 times throughout 2007, and went 13–0 before actually joining an

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

gym and officially begin training. In 2008, Herman signed with the now defunct

organization. He debuted on the undercard of EliteXC: Street Certified, defeating Mario Rinaldi via TKO. His second bout came at EliteXC: Return of the King, where he defeated

Ron Waterman Ronald Waterman (born November 23, 1965) is a former American mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and celebrity member of the Team Impact motivational group. He holds notable victories over Valentijn Overeem, Ricco Rodriguez, Kevin Ra ...

via TKO. He next faced

Kerry Schall Kerry Schall (born August 9, 1971) is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter. His nickname "Meat Truck" is for his huge size and punching power. Background The Kankakee, Illinois native was a football and wrestling star at Herscher High ...

in the main event of ShoXC 9, which would ultimately be the final show by the company. Following the dissolution of

, Herman fought for a variety of promotions including

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

, Shark Fights and World Victory Road. Korean fighter Mu Bae Choi handed him his first loss in Japan on January 4, 2009, fighting in the Sengoku promotion. In his next fight Herman defeated Jim York at Sengoku 11. In 2010, Herman became entangled in a lawsuit with Bellator that kept him out of action in the United States for just over a year. Once the legal issues were settled, Herman was scheduled to face Ricco Rodriguez at Bellator 31 but Rodriguez pulled out of the fight due to a knee injury. Michal Kita stepped in, and served as Rodriguez's replacement. Herman defeated him via first round submission. Herman received his second loss after being disqualified for illegal knees to

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Nkamhoua (; born April 18, 1984), mostly billed simply as Sokoudjou, is a Cameroonian professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, Sokoudjou is the former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion, and ...

. Herman then faced Yoshihiro Nakao at World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight. He won the fight via decision, the first fight in his career to go the distance.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Herman was expected to make his promotional debut against

Rob Broughton Rob Broughton (born 3 March 1983) is an English former mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor between 2004 and 2015, Broughton is a former British Cage Rage heavyweight champion and has also co ...

on June 11, 2011 at

UFC 131 ''UFC 131: dos Santos vs. Carwin'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on 11 June 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Background Brock Lesnar was originally scheduled to fa ...

. However, in late March, Broughton was replaced in the bout by

Joey Beltran José Felipe Beltran (born December 9, 1981) is an American bare-knuckle fighter and mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, and King of the Cage. He currently compe ...

. When

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...

pulled out of his main event fight with

Junior dos Santos Junior dos Santos (; born 30 January 1984) is a Brazilian Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler who competes in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division of Eagle FC. As a mixed martial ar ...

, Jon Olav Einemo's original opponent,

Shane Carwin Western Colorado Mountaineers Shane Bannister Carwin (born January 4, 1975) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former Interim UFC Hea ...

, stepped up to replace Lesnar against dos Santos. Herman instead fought fellow UFC newcomer Einemo. Herman defeated Einemo via TKO (punches) at 3:19 of round 2 in a back and forth bout that earned ''Fight of the Night'' honors. Herman was scheduled to face

Mike Russow Michael Earl Russow (born November 9, 1976) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division. Having made his professional debut in 1998, Russow has formerly competed for the UFC, Adrenaline MMA ...

on October 8, 2011 at

UFC 136 ''UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 8, 2011, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event coincided with a two-day UFC Fan Expo held at the George R. Brown C ...

. However, the bout was cancelled after Herman failed his preliminary drug test in which he tested positive for marijuana. Herman denies using the prohibited substances. Herman fought against

Stefan Struve Stefan Jaimy Struve (; born February 18, 1988) is a Dutch former mixed martial artist who competed as a heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). At , he is the tallest fighter in the history of the UFC. Background Growing up in th ...

on February 15, 2012 at

UFC on Fuel TV 1 The year 2012 was the 20th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. 2012 started with UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes and ended with UFC 155: dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2 ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Herman replaced

Gabriel Gonzaga Gabriel Gonzaga Santos Nogueira (; born 18 May 1979) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is perhaps best known for his upset head-kick knockout of ...

to face Roy Nelson on May 26, 2012 at

UFC 146 ''UFC 146: dos Santos vs. Mir'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event (PPV) promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on May 26, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card featured five MMA bouts ...

. He was defeated via KO in 51 seconds. Herman next faced

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (, born 2 June 1976), better known as Minotauro or Big Nog, is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Inter ...

on October 13, 2012 at

UFC 153 ''UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 13, 2012, at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background Vitor Belfort was expected to face Alan Belcher a ...

. Herman was submitted by Nogueira via armbar in the second round, receiving the first submission loss of his career. Herman tested positive for marijuana for the second time after failing his post-fight drug test for

. He was suspended for six months and ordered to undergo treatment. The suspension was lifted in April 2013. Herman was expected to face Shane del Rosario on July 6, 2013 at

UFC 162 ''UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman'' was a mixed martial arts event on July 6, 2013, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The main event was a UFC Middleweight Championship bout between long time title holder Anderson Silva a ...

. However, del Rosario was forced off the card due to injury and replaced by

. Herman lost the fight just 17 seconds into the first round by TKO. After losing four fights in a row, Herman was released from the UFC.

Titan Fighting Championship

On January 28, 2014, it was announced that Herman had signed a contract with

Titan Fighting Championship Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

. Herman was expected to face

Kalib Starnes Kalib Starnes (born January 6, 1975) is a Canadian mixed martial artist. Early life Starnes became involved in the martial arts at an early age and began teaching when he was a teenager. He started training in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie Aca ...

at Titan FC 28 on April 25, 2014. However the event was delayed until May 16, 2014. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Herman was expected to face Walt Harris at Titan FC 30 on September 26, 2014. However Harris was forced out of the bout with a back injury and the fight was then rescheduled to take place at Titan FC 32 on November 20, 2014. However the bout was scrapped after Harris re-signed with the UFC. Herman was then expected to face

Jon Madsen Jonathan Michael Madsen (born February 12, 1980) is a retired American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Heavyweight division of Titan FC. A professional competitor since 2008, Madsen has also formerly competed for the UFC ...

for the Titan FC heavyweight championship at the event. On November 4, 2014 it was announced that Titan FC 32 would be postponed to December 19, 2014 and would be moved from Augusta, Georgia to Lowell, Massachusetts. Herman subsequently pulled out of the bout due to an injury.

Personal life

Herman married Madeleine Atchley in March 2014. They live on a farm and have a son, Leo. On January 19, 2015 Herman was arrested in the early morning in Indiana, allegedly after leading police on a chase. Herman faces three felony charges, including resisting law enforcement with a vehicle and battery against law enforcement, and a misdemeanor charge of child neglect. His infant child was in the vehicle when he pulled over in the closest safe well lit area. According to an incident report issued by the Dekalb County Sheriff Department, Herman was speeding on I-69 with no headlights or taillights on. When officers attempted to pull him over, Herman initially refused to pull over before stopping at a gas station, the report states. According to the report: “David exited his vehicle and approached Officers in an aggressive manner. David was given multiple warnings to get on the ground and failed to comply. David had to be tased in order to be taken into custody. An infant and adult female were also present in the vehicle.”

Championships and accomplishments

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

** Fight of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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, Decision (unanimous) , Titan FC 28: Brilz vs. Davis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Newkirk, Oklahoma Newkirk is a city and county seat of Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,172 at the 2020 census. History Newkirk is on land known as the Cherokee Outlet (popularly called the "Cherokee Strip"), which belonged to the Chero ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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, Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:31 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

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Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–2 , John-Olav Einemo , TKO (punches) ,

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Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 20–2 , Yoshihiro Nakao , Decision (unanimous) , World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–2 , Michal Kita , Submission (omoplata) , Bellator 31 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:16 ,

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–2 ,

, DQ (illegal knees) , ADFC: Round 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 18–1 , Jim York , KO (axe kicks and punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:25 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 17–1 ,

Don Frye Donald Frye (born November 23, 1965) is an American former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and actor. In MMA, he was one of the sport's earliest well-rounded fighters and won the ''UFC 8'' and ''Ultimate Ultimate 96'' tournaments an ...

, TKO (punches) , Shark Fights 6: Stars & Stripes , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall County ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–1 , Josh Barnes , KO (knee and punches) ,

Bellator 5 2009 in Bellator MMA was the first installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started broadcasting April 3, 2009, through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. The episodes had a one-day ...

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Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–1 , Choi Mu-Bae , TKO (punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku no Ran 2009 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:22 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–0 , Chris Guillen , TKO (punches) , KOK: Season's Beatings , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–0 ,

, TKO (knees and punches) , ShoXC 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 ,

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–0 ,

, TKO (punches) , EliteXC: Return of the King , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:19 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 , Mario Rinaldi , TKO (knees and punches) , EliteXC: Street Certified , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:33 ,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Justin Kuhn , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Maximum Combat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:56 , United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Chuck Geyer , KO (punch) , LOF 22: Nemesis , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Terry Tucker , KO (punch) , LOF 20: Bitter Rivals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Jordan Wall , TKO (submission to punches) , Title Fighting Championships , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Andre Mussi , TKO (punches) , Fight Night in the Flats III , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , James Samuels , KO (punch) , LOF 18: Pole Position , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:18 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , James Ferguson , KO (punch) , LOF 17: Unrivaled , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Seth Parker , Submission (rear-naked choke) , LOF: Revolution 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:11 ,

Plainfield, Indiana Plainfield is a town in Guilford, Liberty, and Washington townships, Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. The population was 27,631 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 35,287. History In 1822 a tract of land whic ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Greg Hammer , TKO (submission to punches) , FSG: Coliseum Carnage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:13 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Jeff Orieze , KO (punch) , LOF: Revolution 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mike Cooke , KO (punch) , LOF 12: Black Tie Battles , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:39 ,

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References

External links

Official UFC Profile
* *http://www.daveherman.net/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Herman, Dave American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Indiana Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts Living people 1984 births People from Columbia City, Indiana Sportspeople from Fort Wayne, Indiana Sportspeople from Temecula, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers