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UFC 78 doesn’t have the strongest main event but the under card is very good and could make the event a real good show. The main event is The Ultimate Fighter 2 winner Rashad Evans against The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Michael Bisping. Also on the card is the debut of PRIDE veteran Ryo Chonan, light heavyweight sensation Houston Alexander fights and others.

Middleweight fight: Ed Herman vs. Joe Doerksen
Very hard to pick a winner in this fight as Ed “Short Fuse” Herman has had a very mixed couple fights recently. He did defeat Scott Smith in a very good effort at UFC 72 but before that he didn’t really do a lot. At UFC Fight Night 8 he defeated low name fighter Chris Price and before them two fight he loss to Jason Macdonald and Kendall Grove, it will really matter what Ed Herman shows up. On the other side of things Ed Herman’s opponent at first was suppose to be David Terrell but he had to pull out because of injury so his new opponent is Joe Doerksen, who is no push over and Ed Herman is going to have to fight a good fight to defeat him. Doerksen already has a victory over Ed Herman in 2004 and has defeated other good middleweights such as Chris Leben, Denis Kang and Patrick Côté. Both fighters can hold there own in stand up and on the ground but I think both would preferably want it to go to the ground as they both are very good submitters when it hits the ground. Jumping from one another as to who I think will win this fight as in my head I can see it going either way. In this fight I will go for Ed Herman by a tiny but as I think his ground game is just as good as Joe Doerksen and I think Ed Herman’s stand up is slightly above his opponents.
Winner: Ed Herman, Split Decision

Lightweight fight: Spencer Fisher vs. Frank Edgar
This fight has all the makings to be the fight of the night because both these lightweights are extremely good fighters. Coming into this fight with a perfect 7-0 record Frank Edgar will be confident and his first match in the UFC in February at UFC 67 was absolutely exceptional. Frank Edgar fought an insanely good fight with the very powerful Tyson Griffin and earned a unanimous decision victory. Frank Edgar showed in his fight that he can take some punishment and that his opponent will have to break his bones for him to give up. If you watch that match he is in a very painful leg lock in the dying seconds of the final round where his knee/leg must have been in an incredible amount of pain. He also won an easier fight at UFC 73 against Mark Bocek where he won via TKO (ground and pound). Spencer Fisher was also good in his last fight and is a very entertaining fighter just like Frank Edgar. Spencer Fisher recently defeated Canadian Sam Stout in June at UFC Fight Night 10. That fight was also a great fight and Spencer Fisher had to work very hard for the win like Edgar’s UFC 67 victory. Both fighters will want to make a statement in the lightweight division where there aren’t a lot of stand out fighters to speak of. These two fighters are very well rounded and anything but a great fight from these two will be disappointing, I am picking the upset here and I think Frank Edgar can take a lot and I think he will end up being to much for Spencer Fisher and I also see this fight going to the judges like the first fight.
Winner: Frank Edgar, Unanimous Decision

Light heavyweight fight: Houston Alexander vs. Thiago Silva
We get to see the explosive Houston Alexander return to the octagon to take on undefeated fighter Thiago Silva. Houston Alexander has had two fights in the UFC and they have gone a combined total of 1:49, and the fighters he beat are great fighters in Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara. Houston Alexander has very heavy hands and when that man hits you, you are going to feel it and if he connects his opponent will be hitting the ground. We have yet to see what will happen if Houston Alexander is taking to the ground and what will happen if his opponent is able to hold him to the ground. In Alexander’s last fight at UFC 75 against Alessio Sakara, Sakara was able to take him to the ground but in a few seconds Alexander was able to get back onto his feet and finish him of. Thiago Silva comes into this fight with a perfect 11-0 record and has only let one of his fights in the judge’s hands. Thiago Silva is also a stand up fighter like Houston Alexander and both fighters will be going into the fight to bang it and give the crowd a good stand up fight. I predict that this fight will go to the second round and last longer both of Houston Alexander’s previous UFC fights, but I see the same result coming and I see Alexander knocking him down and getting a dominant position to win this fight by TKO.
Winner: Houston Alexander, TKO, 2^nd Round

Welterweight fight: Karo Parisyan vs. Ryo Chonan
Karo Parisyan has already fought in 9 UFC events and the young lightweight is only 25 years old, in the nine fights he has only lost to George St. Pierre (UFC 46) and Diego Sanchez (UFC Fight Night 6). While losing to them he has beaten some great welterweight fighters in Nick Diaz, Chris Lytle and current UFC Welterweight Champion Matt “The Terror” Serra. Karo Parisyan is the first fighter to adopt a Judo style and Judo throws into the octagon, Parisyan’s main winning style is to submit his opponent but he can still hold his own standing up, if you don’t believe me watch his fight against Diego Sanchez where he lost by close decision. His opponent Ryo Chonan is making his debut in the UFC and should be a nice gain to the welterweight division. Ryo Chonan also has a victory over a current UFC title holder being when he defeated Anderson Silva at PRIDE Shockwave 2004 and he also has a win over Carlos Newton who is a good welterweight fighter and was a good fighter for the UFC a while ago. I can sense that this fight will just be a good slug out and both fighters can have good fights, so I am hoping this is an entertaining fight. We have seen since PRIDE went defect that a lot of PRIDE fighters have had trouble getting used to the UFC cage and different rules. That being said I think that Karo Parisyan will get a big win and will finish this one by TKO in the third round.
Winner: Karo Parisyan, TKO, 3^rd Round

MAIN EVENT! Light heavyweight fight: Rashad Evans vs. Michael Bisping
The main event of UFC 78 has The Ultimate Fighter 2 winner Rashad Evans taking on The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Michael Bisping and rumors are going around that the winner of this fight gets a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Both fighters coming into UFC 78 are undefeated with Michael Bisping’s MMA record being fifteen straight wins and Rashad Evans record being fourteen wins and one draw. Rashad Evans is coming of a poor fight with Tito Ortiz at UFC 73 and was somewhat lucky to come out of that match with a draw, due to Tito Ortiz holding onto the cage. There are really two different types of Evans, there is the type that is aggressive and throws great kicks and connects well with his punches and then there is the other side which is very defensive and tentative as we saw at UFC 73. Michael Bisping isn’t coming of off a very convincing win either. Bisping defeated Matt Hamill at UFC 75 in one of the worst UFC judging ever. Bisping was gloating after the win when it was quite clear that he shouldn’t have won and lost some respect from his fans. This is a big moment for both fighters and it will push one into the top of the light heavyweight scene in the UFC and drop the other one a far bit. Bisping’s stand up game was a bit weak in his last fight as Matt Hamill who is known for his wrestling was able to control the stand up. I think this fight will go to the judges as I don’t see either fighter lading a knockout blow and it probably won’t go to the ground. In my eyes I see Rashad Evans winning this match by unanimous decision, I just think Rashad will be more of the aggressor and will end up controlling this fight. Whoever wins this fight it will shut up the opponent and hand them there first lost, hopefully Bisping losses because he has a big mouth for someone who hasn’t faced top stars in the division.
Winner: Rashad Evans, Unanimous Decision