jai herbert

Jai Herbert is relatively new to the UFC; he’s only had two fights and has been finished in both of them. At the age of 33, Herbert is 10-3 professionally, and eight of his wins have come by knockout and all of his losses have come by finish.

Khama Worthy, on the other side, is 35 years old, 16-8 professionally, and 2-2 in the UFC. All four of Worthy’s UFC fights have been finishes.

Worthy vs. Herbert Betting Odds

Herbert is a solid favorite over the underdog, Worthy.

  • Worthy: +150
  • Herbert: -180

Herbert vs. Worthy Breakdown

Herbert is a prospect with clear holes in his game. He struggles to stay on his feet against wrestlers and struggles to keep them on the edge of his longer strikes. This is because he often overextends on his punches which leaves him vulnerable in the pocket to get clipped or taken down. Further, he is rarely the aggressor; instead, he prefers to allow his opponent to enter his zone and then land. This causes a lower volume and makes him rely on the perfect strike rather than combinations. Despite his holes and the blueprint to beat him, Herbert has shown glimpses of talent in the octagon. He is a tall kickboxer who uses a variety of strikes from range. When he doesn’t overextend and does use combinations, his variable striking looks smooth and crisp. His punches and kicks come from a strong base that creates power while still maintaining speed and quickness.

Worthy has a similar style to Herbert. He, too, keeps a slower pace and looks for the perfect shot. He stalks forward, flat-footed and with a wide base, waiting to unload his powerful right hand. Problematically though, because he keeps a flat-footed and wide power base, his movement is nullified. With limited movement, fighters need to keep a conscious guard, have quick head movement, or have a reliable chin. Worthy does none and has none of those attributes. He doesn’t move laterally, has a porous guard, keeps his head on the centerline, and, subsequently, has been knocked out seven times. Because of his powerful strikes, suspect defense, questionable chin, and kill or be killed style, Worthy’s fights can end in the blink of an eye. Win or lose, Worthy rarely leaves the fight to the judges.

Herbert vs. Worthy Prediction

I went back and forth on this one because I tend to like the guy who will move forward and be the aggressor in a fight that I don’t expect to make it to the judges. Herbert is frustratingly and problematically patient and Worthy, even to a fault, will move forward. However, Herbert does have some heat, and Worthy’s chin is so unreliable that I can’t back Worthy here. While I think Herbert could get pressured and clipped early, I see him moving well enough to avoid Worthy’s big shots, then, Herbert landing one of his own. 

Prediction: Herbert by TKO/KO

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