UFC 78 - Validation >>> Results
Saturday, November 17th, 2007
UFC 78 proved to be one of the toughest cards on which to make predictions. I have to say that I have a lot of respect for anyone who earns a shot in the UFC or for that matter anyone that dedicates the time it takes to get into shape and compete in MMA at a high level. Now, with that disclaimer, I was completely disgusted with Spencer “The King” Fisher’s performance at UFC 78. Maybe his opponent Frankie “The Answer” Edgar was just too much and I am not taking anything away from Edgar as I have seen him fight before and he impressed me. However, Fisher looked like he was either hurt prior to coming into the fight or was coming down with a really bad staph infection, but either way, for a guy who hasn’t had a fight in the UFC in quite a while, it was a dismal and embarrassing performance. I’m not just saying that because I picked him to win. Fisher looked winded, disinterested and apathetic.
Now onto something more interesting. Joe “El Dirte” Doerkson vs Ed “Short Fuse” Herman was next up. Doerksen had beaten Herman in the past but that was over 3 years ago and Herman was adamant that things would be different this time. Herman did end up on the right track with an eventual knockout over Doerksen in the third round after wearing him down. Doerksen nearly got a triangle choke win at the end of the second round and I don’t imagine Herman would have been able to escape if it wasn’t for the bell ringing to end the second round. I lost this pick as well, putting me at a dismal 0-2.
Karo “The Heat” Parisyan took on former Pride fighter Ryo Chonan. Neither the crowd nor Karo were happy with his performance, but he did end up with a unanimous decision. As boring as this fight was, I predicted the exact result - Parisyan with a decision. After this fight I was 1-2.
Houston Alexander took on Thiago Silva. This was a very hyped up fight as Houston Alexander had won 2 straight fights in the UFC in a combined under 2 minutes against Keith Jardine (who has defeated Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell) and Alessio Sakara who was a reputable boxer. The opponents were very tough but Alexander just walked right through them. This fight ended up disappointing the New Jersey sellout crowd. Alexander displayed a very weak ground game as Thiago Silva who went 12-0 mounted Alexander and pounded him until he went out. As it turns out, Alexander has some work to do on his ground game if he wants to continue to compete in the UFC. I lost this one as well putting me at 1-3. Ouch!
In the main even between “Sugar” Rashad Evans vs Michael “The Count” Bisping, two undefeated fighters and two Ultimate Fighter winners squared off for the first time. This was a crucial fight for both as it would vault the winner into the top 5 light heavyweights. This went to a decision and ended up a split. The US fans really didn’t seem very supportive of Bisping. The fight wasn’t overly exciting as it was fairly predictable with Evans taking down Bisping and The Count getting up each time and not taking any punishment on the ground. Both were about even in the standup but I would say that Rashad won the fight based on his relentless attempts at takedowns. I won this fight so I went to 2-3. I’ve had some really good results in past UFC events so this one is by far my worst, but there was still the undercard…
Joe Lauzon who is 23 years old was next up against the 18-0 Jason Reinhardt who got his first shot in the UFC at 38 years old. The 15 year difference may have proved a factor as Lauzon submitted Reinhardt in the first round with a rear naked choke. Lauzon looked very impressive and dominant which could be in part thanks to him training full time and living in Hawaii and being trained under BJ Penn. I won this fight so I went to an even 3-3 on my picks. The rest of the undercard put me at 5 of 9 correct which is my worst picking so far, but as mentioned at the top of this entry, this was the toughest UFC event to call yet.