UFC 78 Preview and Predictions

UFC 78 is this Saturday night in New Jersey. The card is headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Michael Bisping, who are the winners of the Ultimate Fighter reality series seasons two and three. Most fight fans don't consider this fight to be of main event quality, but both fighters are undefeated in their MMA careers and have shown some excitement inside the octagon. Both fighters are relatively small for the 205 pound division, and each posses skills that could put them over the top. The winner of this fight will be catapulted towards the upper echelon of the division, while the loser could be downgraded to mid-card status and maybe consider a switch to the 185 pound weight class.

Although the main event may be considered somewhat lackluster, the under card has potential to be one of the best in recent UFC history. If you're a fan of stand up fighting then you won't want to miss Houston Alexander take on Thiago Silva. Both have several knockouts on their resume, and Alexander has shown he's one of the most explosive fighters in the UFC. Don't blink or you could miss something. Next up is UFC veteran Karo Parisyan vs. Ryo Chonan. Chonon is a relatively unknown in North America, but he's provided plenty of great fights in Pride. Parisyan could be considered a bit of a stepping stone for some of the top fighters in the 170 pound division, but he'll be hard to beat if his conditioning is top notch. In a lightweight battle, Spencer Fisher will take on Frank Edgar. Fisher is well known to fans as a tough stand-up fighter with a great chin while Edgar is primarily known for his work on the ground. Fisher has openly challenged Edgar to stand with him, so it should be interesting to see if he takes the bait.

The other fights on the card are: 155 lbs.- Joe Lauzon (15-3) vs. Jason Reinhardt (18-0), 185 lbs.- Ed Herman (13-5) vs. Joe Doerksen (39-10), 170 lbs.- Chris Lytle (24-14-5) vs. Thiago Alves (12-3), 155 lbs.- Marcus Aurelio (14-5) vs. Luke Caudillo (12-8), and 170 lbs. - Tamdan McCrory (8-0) vs. Akihiro Gono (27-12-1).

Main Fights Predictions

- Frank Edgar (7-0) vs. Spencer Fisher (20-3) - Fisher by stoppage in the 2nd Round.(Excitement Level: 4/5)

- Karo Parisyan (17-4) vs. Ryo Chonan (14-7) - Parisyan by split decision. (Excitement Level: 3/5)

- Houston Alexander (8-1) vs. Thiago Silva (11-0) – Alexander by KO in the 2nd Round. (Excitement Level: 5/5)

- Rashad Evans (10-0-1) vs. Michael Bisping (14-0) – Evans by unanimous decision. (Excitement Level: 2/5)

This UFC card is opposite of the past few cards, due to the fact that it lack superstar names and no titles are on the line. Those cards have been somewhat of a disappointment as the big names haven't lived up to the hype and fans didn't see the results they wanted. On paper UFC 78 doesn't seem all that extravagant, but it does have potential to be a fantastic card. Maybe this time around the fans will be surprised again, but this time in a good way. Have fun watching the event and remember that anything can happened inside the octagon.

Video of the Day: UFC 79 Trailer

This will be one of the most anticipated fight cards in UFC history.