Herman vs. Maia Set for UFC 83

The UFC today made official the long-rumored UFC 83 bout between middlweights Ed Herman (14-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Demian Maia (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC). With the booking, UFC 83 now features a total of 11 bouts.

UFC 83 takes place April 19 at the Bell Centre in Montreal; it'll be the UFC's first-ever event in Canada. UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra meets interim champ Georges St. Pierre in a title-unification main event, and former middleweight champ Rich Franklin meets "The Ultimate Fighter 4" winner Travis Lutter in a co-main event.

The 27-year-old Herman, one of the most experienced fighters cast for the third season of "The Ultimate Fighter," made it to the show's finals but lost to Kendall Grove. In his very next fight, he was quickly submitted by Jason MacDonald for his second straight loss, but the Team Quest fighter quickly turned things around. First came a first-round submission of Chris Price at UFC Fight Night 8, then came a second-round submission of Scott Smith at UFC 72. He most recently earned a third-round knockout of veteran fighter Joe Doerksen -- the first knockout of his career -- this past November at UFC 78.

Herman now faces an undefeated Maia, who's racked up a 6-0 record since turning pro in December 2006. The 30-year-old made his UFC debut at Cincinnati's UFC 77 event, where he submitted Ryan Jensen with a first-round rear-naked choke.

Although Maia hasn't fought the biggest names in MMA, every fighter the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has beaten currently has a winning record. Five of the six victories have come via first-round stoppages.

UFC events have traditionally featured nine fights, but with approximately 250 fighters signed to contracts, the organization has been booking a growing number of bouts for each event. UFC Fight Night 13, for example, will likely feature 12 fights next month.