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UFC 78 - Evans is TUF Enough
Lightweight -
155 My Scoring -
30-26 Edgar Edgar completely dominated the match from start to finish earning a unanimous decision. He put on a pure wrestling clinic scoring virtually every take down attempted and controlled the ground game from on top. While having a tough time getting out of Spencer's full guard early on, Fisher began to fatigue and Edgar began to get to half guard and side control, constantly applying pressure and punches at will. Fisher couldn't land anything from the standing position and 90% of the fight saw Fisher fighting off his back (Spencer made only one legit submission attempt, which Edgar escaped in quick fashion). When I score fights, I score a point for each minute of the match. I had the New Jersey native winning all 15 minutes of the match and is now a solid top 10 contender at 155.
Middleweight -
185 I'll be the first to admit I'm not a big fan of Ed Herman, but I was impressed with how he came prepared, dominated the first round, got out of trouble late in the second round and then scored the early 3rd round KO with a sloppy left hook. To Joe's defence, he took the fight with only 2 weeks notice and would have finished the fight had he not ran out of time in the second round. Herman got Doerksen to the ground for the majority of the first round, cutting him above the left eye early, impairing Joe's vision. Ed then continued ground and pound, while at the same time showed tremendous take down defence when Doerksen made his attempts. Joe attained back control, only to be countered by Herman with both escaping. Ed then made a mistake while on top, missed a punch and ended up in a deep triangle and arm bar. Unfortunately for Doerksen it happened with only seconds remaining in the second round. Both fighters came out looking tired in the third round trading punches and both keeping their hands low. No one will mistake Herman's first ever KO as a technical punch, but the left hook landed and it was over. I scored it 2-0 rounds for Herman prior to the stoppage and had Ed winning 9 minutes to Doerksen's 2. Herman was later awarded KO of the night.
Welterweight -
170 I can't remember the last Japanese fighter that really impressed me in the Octagon. I had high hopes for Okami, but it appears that he's headed elsewhere in the MMA universe. Chonan was a replacement in this match and he drew a tough competitor in Parisyan. This was not a very entertaining match and both competitors were boo'd throughout the 3rd round. Karo controlled all 3 rounds and was in little danger of getting KO'd or submitted. Chonan did get some good punches through and actually did some decent facial damage to Karo. Parisyan utilized his Judo skills scoring take downs in the first 2 rounds and then possibly fatigue set in as Chonan was able to better defend in the final round. Lots of clutching and grabbing and not a lot of constant action. Karo did have a few flurries, especially early and late in the fight, but it wasn't enough to show that Karo is ahead of Serra, GSP or Hughes. I think while those 3 have their wars, Parisyan needs to fight Koscheck or Fitch to prove that he deserves a title shot. I agreed with the judges, scoring it 30-27 Parisyan and scored the minutes 12-3 (4-1 each round) for Karo.
Light Heavyweight - 205 Well, this match went as planned. Early first Round KO with Alexander's arm raised. Only problem is that someone forgot to tell Thiago how the things were supposed to go down. Houston came out early and immediately went into the clinch. What?!? Why he played right into Silva's game plan will baffle pundits for some time. The best shots Alexander threw were the high 5's during his entrance. Silva stood toe to toe and traded punch for punch with Alexander and when they got in the clinch midway through the round, Thiago took Houston to the ground and exposed a ridiculous weakness in Alexander's abilities. Houston had at least one good opportunity to slip out of Thiago's grasp on the ground but didn't attempt a single escape move, I believe because he doesn't have one. His plan was to go Cheik Kongo (who I will credit has worked on his ground game) and simply hold on for dear life and hope for the ref to stand them up. Once Silva realized this, it took little effort to achieve full mount and the onslaught of heavy, heavy punches ensued. I though originally the stoppage was premature, but in the replay you could see the the referee was correct in stopping the match. At 35 one has to wonder if Alexander has can adapt to well rounded MMA opponents. Silva, only 25 years of age, looks to be headed for a very prosperous 2008 and I can't wait to watch him fight again. In one fight, I believe he's knocking on if not already in the top 10 in the UFC in an extremely deep 205 division. For those keeping score, I had it 3 minutes to 1 in favor of Silva prior to the KO.
Light Heavyweight
- 205
Round 1 Evans controlled the pace the entire opening round. Rashad kept Bisping pinned against the cage, had multiple take downs and when they did exchange, Evans out punched Michael. Bisping looked extremely frustrated and needs to find a way to counter the wrestling technique being imposed upon him. I scored the round 5-0 Evans. Round 2 Rashad came out and 15 seconds in, picked up Bisping, carrying him across the ring and slammed him to the mat. Rashad remained on top for about 2 minutes until the ref stood them both up. The remainder of the round was all Bisping. He kept the fight in the middle of the ring the next 2 minutes. Finding his range, Michael weaved in and out, keeping distance from Evans mixing up his punches and the odd kick. The final minute had Rashad pin Bisping against the cage, but Michael figured his take down defence, and was able to reverse Evans against the cage. As the bell rang, Michael picked up and slammed Rashad. I scored this 3-2 Bisping and have the match 1 round each. Round 3 This was the hardest round to score as both fighters did pretty even in the stand up and both had take downs. Rashad had more "ring control" and more take downs which I feel was enough to win the round. Evans looked the more tired of the two, as he used up more energy attempting take downs while Michael's sprawl was somewhat effective at times. I went 3-2 Evans for the round (10-5 for the fight) and gave the decision 2-1 Bisping. Dana appeared happy with the fight and could be heard talking to Bisping, asking him to remain positive on the microphone even if the crowd boo's him. The judges scored it 29-28 (Evans), 29-28 (Bisping) and 29-28 (Evans), giving Evans the split-decision victory.
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