RICH BERGERON’S UFC 78 CAGE-SIDE REPORT

Posted on | November 19, 2007 | No Comments

SEE THE COMPANION RINGSIDE REPORT HERE:

DANNY SERATELLI’S BRICK CITY BOXING REPORT ON UFC 78

THE UFC 78 EXPERIENCE

By: Rich Bergeron

There are certain things worth fighting for, as any man who’s ever fought in even one little tussle knows. The UFC has fought and scratched and clawed its way to the top of the MMA food chain in recent years and set the stage for others to crop up all around them. Yet, the king of the jungle still rules the roost. UFC 78 demonstrated that fact loud and clear on Saturday, November 17th at Newark New Jersey’s brand new Prudential Center. Though the card was disappointing at times, there were some gems that may be worth watching again and again.

Over 14,000 screaming fans appeared in full force Saturday, most donning UFC gear and spouting the names of their favorite fighters. They came from all corners of the earth to witness one of the most evenly matched set of MMA bouts possible. The flashy, Vegas style event organization brought a little Sin City to the East Coast for Validation.

Though the bright flashing signs, neon lights, and computerized graphic interfaces still blared bright in Times Square, the lights of Broadway were still down for the weekend of these fights due to a stage hand strike. The near-capacity crowd was mostly a mixture of middle aged, college bound, and blood-thirsty thirty-somethings. There were even a good number of retirees roaming the stands. They were all either trying out something new or catching what they knew would be a sure-fire, must-see night of caged combat. It was a crowd dotted with both experts and “noobs.” Some never even heard of the UFC before attending the night’s matches. A strong contingent of Michael Bisping fans ventured to Newark all the way from the United Kingdom to see their countryman’s hopes dashed in the ultra-competitive main event. Yet, above it all, the atmosphere was purely American.

The main event was no exception. Pitting two fighters with 15 wins and no losses against each other with one hailing from the Midwest and the other coming over from across the pond in the UK was a marketing gem that helped sell the event and brought plenty of British Michael Bisping fans to Newark. They wanted to see him take Rashad Evans out, but instead they watched Rashad pile on some heavy duty punishment in the first round and pull out some last second miracles to win a close third round and an even closer split decision.

Bisping was practically catatonic in the first. Evans came in aggressive, launching 1-2 punches and going for the first takedown attempts. He transitioned from a single to a double leg takedown and finally put Bisping on his butt with his back against the cage. Bisping would escape after sustaining minimal damage, but he would be taken down twice more in the round and get clipped by some hard left and right hands.

The second round was vastly different with Bisping taking charge as Evans faded. Evans resembled a punch-drunk boxer despite not taking any serious blows to the head at that point. It was simply a matter of Evans being too tired to charge after Bisping and expending way too much energy in the first. Evans started strong with a huge slam take down, but Bisping fought out of trouble. Evans landed some scattered punches, but Bisping was the aggressor in the second despite not being able to land anything to produce a knockout. Bisping’s use of knees and a rampant head kick helped out his game plan tremendously. He also made good use of his fists, but he didn’t have the reach or power behind his punches to rattle Evans.

The third round was one everyone knew would determine the final outcome. Both fighters came out pawing at each other with weak jabs and rights. Evans wound up with a great single leg attempt that ended up in a trip takedown of Bisping. Bisping reversed. Evans sat back for a bit and let himself get into Bisping’s wheelhouse. The 1-2 punch was working for the Brit, and so were his knees and uppercuts. Finally, Evans turned to his reserve tank and finished things out by taking late control. He connected with a quality left hand, missed with the follow up right, and took Bisping down yet again. Bisping knew he had to get up and end with a flurry of shots to win. He got halfway there only to get taken down again where the fight ended. The man on his back at the end would lose the way the contest was going, and that’s just how the judges scored it. It was a 28-29, 29-28, 29-28 split-decision win for Evans. The USA chants were an afterthought by the time the fight finished and the crowd began to leave, but even that might have had an impact on the fight and the judges. It was a bit of Karma for Bisping, who many say got a hometown cooking decision against Matt Hamel on his turf not too long ago.

British fans were undaunted after the fight, though. Some of them seemed to have more trouble with Penn Station’s automated train ticketing machine than they did coming to terms with seeing their fighter lose. They were loud and proud and happy to have seen it all.

The card’s American fighters received the bulk of the boisterous cheers and shrill whistles of approval. Chants of USA featured heavily in some of the fights pitting any foreign-born fighter against a US Citizen. It has become a following that can be just as supportive as it is critical. Some fighters get all the crowd’s love when their face flashes on the big screen while others get booed out of the cage after a fight they just won. Even being in attendance when you’re not on the card is commendable to the devotees of this fast growing sport. In the ever-evolving UFC there are several new stars making names for themselves while the old guard of the sport seems to be fading into the limelight.

There is a new generation of fighters rising to the top. They are young kids and older but wiser strategists who never stop learning. They are a new breed of combat-trained warrior with hunger and passion for fighting and staying in shape. There’s no way to bullshit your way to the top in this business anymore. You simply have to be a class act to compete. Every style has to click, every discipline has to be practiced, and every possible situation must be expected.

To get fans to love you and want to see you fight in this day and age, you either have to have both great skill and character or be an absolute animal in the cage. Of course, it helps tremendously if you’re well endowed with both of those qualities. Fighters of every ilk were in Newark Saturday, and not even the UFC’s most recent resignee Randy Couture could miss the event. Couture made only a brief stop and a hasty exit despite the raucous and positive reception he received from the folks in the crowd who caught a glimpse of “The Natural” wandering through the arena. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Keith Jardine, BJ Penn, and Matt Serra were also spectators. Some were also pulling trainer and corner duty for their own recruits in the game that were on the card.

One fan was even overheard claiming to have seen the actor who played A.J. Soprano on the long-running HBO Series. “I don’t think it was really him, dude,” his friend persisted.

BJ Penn was there for Massachusetts Native Joe Lauzon’s dominating defeat of Jason Reinhardt with surprising grace and quickness considering Lauzon’s long layoff due to a knee injury. Lauzon proved to be an excellent Penn protégé by securing the proven and patented “Lion’s Kill” version of what most fans would call a Rear Naked Choke. It took Lauzon just 1 minute and 14 seconds to dispatch his opponent in one of the quickest finishes of the night. Then again, Lauzon is known for being quick on his feet. His UFC debut saw him knock out Jens Pulver, a classy and skilled veteran who later admitted he got caught by a killer punch from the young kid. That fight put Lauzon on the map, but it’s his tough training regimen with Penn in Hawaii and his love for all aspects of the sport that keep him poised and ready to make a major impact.

Reinhardt put up a bit of a sloppy fight early, but his weak resistance was outclassed and outgunned in the long run by a young man who’s becoming a true veteran of the sport in the blink of an eye.

Houston Alexander came in with an impressive 8-1 record and two nice knockout wins to his credit. The USA chant didn’t quite work as well for him as it did for Rashad Evans, though. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master Thiago Silva absolutely mauled Alexander, much to the dismay of the fans favoring Alexander tremendously. Silva moved to 12-0 and proved his ground and pound game is no joke. Alexander started out with an impressive effort from his feet, but once put on his back he had no answer to Thiago Silva’s most dangerous weapon. A grappling and submission master with striking abilities that can damage an opponent from any position on the mat or on the feet, Silva absolutely rolled over Alexander with hammer fists, roundhouses, and vicious combinations. Though some saw it as an early stoppage, it was clear from the replays that Alexander was on his way to being knocked out.

The crowd was horrible to Silva and booed the decision and the fighter during his post-fight interview.

Perhaps the most disappointing match of the night came when a real class act fighter had a demoralizing showing against a young, fighting phenomenon with a 7-0 pro record. Frankie Edgar, from Toms River, New Jersey, was of course the heavy local crowd favorite. Spencer Fisher, hailing from the plains of Bettendorf, Iowa and sporting a 21-3 Mixed Martial Arts record, came in with a formidable reputation in the fight game. He left the cage after a fight spent almost entirely on his back. For Edgar it was a clear triumph he could be grateful for, but for the fans it was a gyp. They didn’t get to see Fisher at his best, and another veteran of the old guard went down to another young up and coming kid.

Edgar simply dismantled Fisher, starting with the first takedown. He later landed a huge overhand right and several sneaky shots penetrating Fisher’s tight guard through the first round. By the end of the round he was scoring with elbows and punches, absolute bombs coming down on Fisher from all angles. Fisher had spurts of his own where he’d land a 1-2, a jab, or a knee, and he threw some nice elbows from the bottom, but there was no force behind them to do damage. Every time he got up he soon went back down to the mat.

Edgar kept on trading punches in the second, landing the heavier handed shots, and winning with his wrestling. Fisher’s best moment was landing a sharp knee to Edgar’s face, but moments later he went down to the mat again via an Edgar takedown. The third was more of the same with Fisher getting up and going down at least three times while Edgar dominated each period on top. Toward the final bell Edgar had chances to end it with a rear-naked choke or a late onslaught of hammer fists. Instead, the contest went to a decision. Two judges scored the bout 30-27 for Edgar while the third scored it 30-26 for Edgar. The crowd seemed a bit let down by Fisher’s lack of response in the fight, but their angst paled in comparison to their pride in local Frankie Edgar, who gave a shout out to Jersey’s fans in his Joe Rogan interview.

One set of closing remarks the fans weren’t happy to hear came from an out of focus and exhausted Karo Parysian. He had just put PRIDE transplant Ryo Chonan through three rounds of holding and smothering to win what was clearly the kind of fight Karo could have ended much earlier if he wanted to. Chonan could do nothing with his short reach and inability to work his kicks in effectively or utilize any of his ground skills early in the fight. Parysian took early control with punches and a quick takedown of his shorter, skinnier opponent. He mixed in a few elbows and later got a nice slam. Parysian’s last really big effort in the fight came at the end of the first round while he maintained the top position and landed some brutal blows that penetrated Chonan’s guard.

Parysian was aggressive early in the second, fading a bit later on, but not doing enough to lose the round. At one point he waved Chonan on. Rather than go to his best weapon (his judo throws), Parysian spent most of the round getting sloppy takedowns and landing weak shots on Chonan. Chonan put up a bit of a fight in the second, leaning in with some good knees and starting to connect with some jabs. He was also relentlessly trying to stay off the mat, which seemed to be frustrating Parysian, but never enough for the fight to slip away.

Fans started to rain heavy boos down on both fighters between rounds and into the third. Chonan’s best round was the third as he continued to put knees together with punching combinations. Chonan also managed a reversal of a takedown as Parysian sucked wind and avoided disaster through grappling and a few well placed kicks. Parysian missed what would have been a solid roundhouse and only glanced Chonan. He later tried to make up for his lackluster showing with a spinning backfist. It didn’t stop Chonan, but it connected. Parysian took home the unanimous decision and apologized to the crowd afterward, blaming personal problems in his life for his poor performance.

One of the night’s most sloppy fights provided fans one of the best knockout endings when Ed Herman took on Joe Doerkson. Herman proved to be better at getting leverage for his wrestling takedowns, and that might have made the difference early on. The fight ranged from a slugfest, through long periods of boring grappling, and even a few ugly examples of ground and pound action. Doerkson did put up a staggered fight, early, but he almost ended the whole thing late in the second.

Herman took his momentum into the early second with some impressive 1-2 combinations landing, backing Doerkson into the cage and resulting in a trip takedown. The referee eventually stood both fighters up when the ground and pound proved to be flat and the crowd rained down some boos. Doerksen took his chance with a few futile knees and right hands, but Herman came back with a left and right hand in true roundhouse style. Doerksen got the takedown out of the deal only to wind up too high on Herman’s back. Herman secured the reversal as Doerksen grappled for a heel hook submission that slipped away. As Herman pounded on his opponent for the top, and with just a few scant seconds left, Doerksen made the move that could have won the match for him.

Herman found himself locked deep in Doerksen’s triangle choke with an arm bar backup held tight. Whatever Herman did to get out of it would only make things worse. He simply had to wait it out, and he barely did. It was just his luck that the bell was so close at hand. Another five seconds and Doerksen would have been the winner by tap out.

The third round was Herman’s chance to pay Doerksen back for his strong second round finish. Doerksen tried once again to box with Herman, and Herman obliged him by ducking under a Doerksen punch to nail him with an incredible straight left that dropped Doerksen like a bag of wet sand. The fight was over as soon as Herman’s left rattled Doerksen’s chin, taking his legs right out from under him and leaving him on the mat for a long period of recovery.

Thiago Alves and Chris Lytle put on one of the night’s most competitive fights early on the card. Lytle, coming in with a tremendously packed pro record of 34-14-4, weathered an early storm from Alves after getting dropped twice by strikes. Lytle began with his own barrage of shots to the head and body including a beautiful kick to the chest before Alves connected with a straight left counter that put Lytle down. Alves later picked up a takedown off a leg kick, and he let Lytle back up after elbowing him in the head. Blood eventually appeared as Lytle fought his way out of trouble with hooks and straight punches and a combination leg kick and right hand to the head. Both fighters landed some thumping leg kicks in the first and used the 1-2 combo well. Alves wound up on his back having to fight up to his feet by the round’s end with Lytle landing some absolute bombs.

Alves continued to be frustrated by the more aggressive Lytle in the second round. Yet both men dropped some nice bombs on each other. Alves landed another powerful leg kick early. Lytle traded left and rights with his game opponent and scored a couple leg kicks of his own. Alves responded with rights and lefts and even more leg kicks. Lytle finally backed Alves up into the cage at one point to get leverage to land a straight right and a right hook to the ribs. Alves couldn’t muster much more than another booming leg kick, a sweet uppercut, and a superman punch. Lytle knocked him down with his own leg kick late in the round. Between rounds the doctor stepped in to address Alves’ swollen and bleeding eye. The fight ended there.

In early bouts:

Tamdan McCrory vs. Akihiro Gono

Gono defeated McCrory by submission (armbar) at 3:19 of round 2

Marcus Aurelio vs. Luke Caudillo

Aurelio defeated Caudillo by TKO (strikes), 4:29 of round 1

The fans got what they came for, and the UFC could celebrate the sold-out crowd of 14,071 fans at the Prudential Center coming to see it all unfold. Saturday’s event drew a live gate of $2.14 million.