The lightweight division is like quicksand: Move too quickly or erratically, and it will swallow you whole. As Jai Herbert completes his training camp ahead of his upcoming bout at UFC Abu Dhabi, he currently finds himself knee-deep in that quicksand as he fights to save his career in the Persian Gulf.
Herbert’s UFC career has been embroiled by paradox and ill timing. Riding a 6-fight winning streak stretching back to 2016, expectations were sky high for a young, well-rounded Herbert as he made his 2020 Fight Island debut against the durable but manageable Francisco Trinaldo.