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KELLER'S UFC 78 PPV REPORT: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV
By Wade Keller, MMATorch editor
Nov 17, 2007, 22:46
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KELLER'S UFC 78: VALIDATION PPV REPORT
NOVEMBER 17, 2007
NEWARK, N.J.
LIVE ON PPV
-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan introduced the show after the usual video preview. Goldberg noted that this is the first time two Ultimate Fighter winners from different seasons square off. Rogan said Rashad Evans doesn't believe Michael Bisbing belongs in the Octagon with him. They shifted to Houston Alexander vs. Thiago Silva. Rogan said there might be more anticipation to see that fight than the main event. He said Silva is a great test for Alexander to see if he's for real. They previewed other fights on the show and then went to a quick overview of the rules
1 -- SPENCER FISHER (31, 5-7; 21-3 record, Cashiers, N.C.) vs. FRANKIE EDGAR (26, 5-6; 7-0 record, Summit, N.J.) - LIGHTWEIGHT FIGHT
ROUND ONE: Rogan said Fisher's "walk-in music" by Johnny Cash is his new favorite. Referee is Dan Miragliotta, who is the most muscular referee in sports history perhaps. The home state crowd chanted "Frankie, Frankie" at the start. Edgar took Fisher down 30 seconds in and applied a guillotine. Fisher went into guard. Edgar tried to land some blows, but without much effect as Fisher kept squirming away from any damage. Rogan pushed that Edgar should have been working harder to shift to a more dominant position with side or full mount. At 3:30 Fisher slipped free and powered to his feet. He went for a roundhouse kick, but slipped to the mat. Edgar dove right back to the mount. He landed more punches and elbows. Nothing threatening, but enough to score and secure a victory in the round. He closed with a side mount and some punches. ROUND GOES TO EDGAR.
ROUND TWO: They went to Edgar's corner between rounds, but I'd have rather heard what Fisher's corner thought he could do to avoid takedowns and more of the same in round two. His corner said to expect knees in round two from FIsher. Edgar took Fisher down in the opening seconds and right away was more aggressive and went to a half-guard. Fisher shifted back to full guard. At 1:00, after an upkick by FIsher, Edgar shifted to a halfguard. Fisher got up, though, pretty quickly. Edgar again took Fisher down within seconds. More of the same until 20 seconds left in the round when he got Fisher's back, but Fisher avoided any harm. The crowd tepidly cheered that their hometown guy was winning a largely boring spectator fight. ROUND GOES TO EDGAR.
ROUND THREE: Edgar took Fisher down, landed some punches from side mount quickly, then got his back and threatened with a rear choke attempt. Fisher blocked it and slipped out and to his feet. Edge went for a takedown, but Fisher avoided it. Edgar again took him down. Rogan said Fisher needs to come up with a better takedown defense. Rogan said this could be a 20 round fight and each would probably look the same as these three. Goldberg rightly pointed out that Fisher hadn't landed anything on Edgar's takedown attempts to make him nervous about moving in. After brief stand-up, Edgar took Fisher down again at 3:00. Edgar ended with side control throwing punches to the back of Fisher's head. ROUND THREE TO EDGAR.
-They showed B.J. Penn applauding at ringside. Goldberg noted that Penn would fight at UFC 80 for the interim lightweight title against Joe Stevenson. Fisher looked dejected after the fight, but did take time to congratulate Edgar.
DECISION: Edgar via judge's decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING (*): Edgar fought the fight he should have, but it wasn't exciting and it was repetitive. Few people are going to stand in line to watch him fight that style of a fight again.
POST-FIGHT INTERVIEW: Rogan interviewed Edgar about beating a top ten contender in Fisher. He said it felt great that things went his way.
-Hype for UFC 79. Anyone need to hear Matt Hughes say that Matt Serra has a small man's complex again? Pot, kettle. Kettle, pot.
2 -- ED HERMAN (27, 6-2; 15-4, Portland, Ore.) vs. JOE DOERKSEN (30, 6-0; 39-10, Winnipeg, Manitoba) - LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT
ROUND ONE: This is a rematch from Doerksen's win three years ago. Herman said he lost when he was a kid, but now he's a full man. Doerksen took the fight on short notice, but Rogan pointed out he's a gym rat and is always in fighting shape. Stand up excha ges early which Herman got the best of, but Doerksen stood in there, too. Doerksen sufered a cut early under his left eye. Herman got Doerksen down and got a full mount at 3:30. Doerksen shifted into a full guard, but Herman punished him in the final minute with consistent punches and elbows. ROUND ONE TO HERMAN.
ROUND TWO: Between rounds, Doerksen had his cut worked on. Rogan and Goldberg raved about UFC 79's line-up. Matt Serra was shown in the front row. A half minute in, Herman took Doerksen down again. At 2:00, just as Rogan talked about how confident Herman seemed, Doerksen twisted Herman and got back control. He went for an arm and his neck, but Herman defended well. He dropped onto his back and went for a rear naked choke. Herman slipped out and got Doerksen's back at 3:00. Doerksen slipped out and got Herman's leg briefly. Herman shifted quickly back to Doerksen's back. Rogan said Doerksen had to apply a body triangle to hold him when he had Herman's back to hold position. With 10 seconds left in the round, Doerksen applied a triangle choke with armbar. Herman was saved by the bell. Rogan wondered how the judges would look at that round because, if there was any time left, "that fight was over." ROUND TO DOERKSEN.
ROUND THREE: Herman's corner told him if he stays engaged, he's got the fight because Doerksen's is beat up badly otherwise. They showed Kenny Florian at ringside. About 30 seconds in, Herman landed a leftto the chin and KO'd Doerksen, who dropped and went limp immediately. He hit the sweet spot. Doerksen stayed down as Herman celebrated. It didn't even seem that strong of a punch, but it landed right under the ear at the top of the jaw in that sweet spot everyone has. Rogan observed that Doerksen seemed pretty spent anyway, with some sloppy swings leading up to being KO'd.
DECISION: Herman via KO in 0:39 of round three.
STAR RATING (**+): Nice KO, nice second round closing seconds, and nice reversed throughout round two. Otherwise, not spectacular or exciting. Decent fight from an entertainment standpoint.
POST-FIGHT: Herman congratulated Doerksen for taking the fight on short notice. He noted it was the first knockout of his career. He admitted it a was a bit sloppy at times.
-They went to a video preview of Forrest Griffin on an upcoming episode of "Law & Order." Griffin plays an MMA fighter, so it's not much of a stretch for him. What's sad is some people watching who aren't UFC fans are going to look at his upper body and think the L&O folks could have done a better job casting a fighter who looked tougher. It airs Nov. 20.
-They showed Mark Hamill in the front row.
3 -- KARO PARISYAN (25, 5-10; 25-4, North Hollywood, Calif.) vs. RYO CHONAN (31, 5-9; 14-7, Japan) -- WELTERWEIGHT FIGHT
PRE-FIGHT NOTES: Chonan has defeated Anderson Silva. He's been training at Dan Henderson's camp in California. He had previously lost to Henderson and twice to Phil Baroni. Rogan said the Silva fight was the highlight of his career, landing with karate-style kicks and a "crazy scissors takedown" and heel hook, as described by Rogan. Rogan said his recent losses may have helped him take training more seriously. Rogan said Karo is crazy, "but it's a crazy that works." Karo has a 5.5 inch reach advantage.
ROUND ONE: Karo landed a left and took Chonan down quickly, although Chonan wasn't close to knocked out. Rogan touted Karo as having the best implementation of judo in MMA. After Karo dominated on the ground most of the first three minutes, they went to their feet briefly twice - first when the ref stood them. When Chonan went for a kick, Karo knocked him down and controlled on the ground again. ROUND ONE TO KARO.
ROUND TWO: They showed Keith Jardine in the front row. Not much of a crowd response for him. More of the same in round two other than early on Chonan landed a punch and a kick that made a nice noise. Not a lot of big movement or blows landed otherwise. ROUND TWO TO KARO.
ROUND THREE: In the opening segments, Karo kicked Chonan in the cup. After a brief pause, the fight continued and Karo moved in and went for a takedown. Chonan avoided the takedown. The crowd booed the lack of action. The ref responded by pulling the fighters back to center ring. At 1:30 Karo finally got Chonan down and he threw a series of punches. Chonan rolld on top at 2:00. Karo scrambled free and they ended up back on their feet mid-ring mid-way through the round. Their stand-up wasn't much more exciting, drawing boos from the fans. The fight crawled to a stop. Rogan said a Karo bow to the crowd indicated he might have been apologizing for a boring fight.
DECISION: Karo Parisyan via decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING (*+): Another mostly blah match. Not even really one memorable highlight reel moment to speak of.
POST-FIGHT INTERVIEW: Karo said he didn't have his best fight because he was having "personal problems in his personal life." He then rambled about whether he deserved a title shot or not. Few mainstream fans would be excited to pay to see him in a PPV title match.
4 -- HOUSTON ALEXANDER (35, 6-0; 8-1 record, East St. Louis, Ill.) vs. THIAGO SILVA (265, 6-1; 11-0, Brazil) -- MIDDLEWEIGHT FIGHT
PRE-FIGHT NOTES: Rogan said Houston Alexander isn't proven because he's won in such short order so far, but there's such promise of excitement. He said his opponent is used to sparring with "brutal destroyers" and is very well rounded. He said this fight will answer a lot of questions. Silva said Alexander has a lot of holes in his fighting approach and he will exploit them. Roga said Silva is a perfect test for Alexander. Goldberg said Alexander is a single parent to six children ages 5-16. He donated one of his kidneys to his oldest daughter several years ago.
ROUND ONE: Houston strangely moved in and clinched early. After a half minute, the ref separated them. He seemed smaller than Silva despite weighing in within a pound of each other. After some standout where nothing landed, Houston took Silva down, but Silva grabbed his leg and flipped him over. At 3:00 Silva landed a series of punches from a full mount and KO'd Houston. The ref was hesitant to step in and then did call for the stoppage after three more punches with no sign of life from Houston.
DECISION: Silva via TKO at 3:25.
STAR RATING (**-): Disappointing fight, but not all that surprising despite the hype for Houston. Nobody can be totally surprised he was taken down and punched out. Houston's fight strategy was odd. He didn't seem to know what happened when he stood for the reading of the decision. Through four fights, easily one of the worst UFC PPV events ever. MMATorch's Shawn Ennis is liking the show better than I am through this point, so maybe I'm being harsh when it comes to the long stretches of ground work in these fights so far, but it's just not even close to a recommended show at this point.
POST-FIGHT INTERVIEW: Silva, through a translator, said Houston was a hero to him for taking care of six kids and asked for applause on his behalf from the fans.
5 -- RASHAD EVANS (28, 5-11; 15-0-1 record, Niagara Falls, N.Y.) vs. MICHAEL BISPING (28, 6-2; 15-0, Liverpool, England) -- LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT
PRE-FIGHT NOTES: Evans is winning fan voting 55-45 over Bisping. Rogan hinted in a roundabout way that Evans might be able to trim down to 185. Same for Bisping. If one of these two won decisively, there might be an opponent people would give a fighting chance to against Anderson Silva. Goldberg touted that Bisping is the first British fighter to ever headline a UFC PPV. Rogan predicted that Bisping will be better than ever to prove himself after doubts coming out of the Matt Hamill fight. Quinton Jacksonhugged Bisping just before he entered the Octagon.
HOUR ONE: Evans went after Bisping early with several sudden swings and then moved in for a takedown. Bisping went down, but then stood up a few seconds later. They repeated the same pattern after a ref separation. Mid-way into the round, Evans got Bisping down. Bisping showed a nice resistance to going down and staying down in the early minutes, maneuvering back to his feet twice after both takedowns before taking any punishment. Evans took Bisping down a third time at 4:00. The round ended with Evans on top, but not delivering much punishment as Bisping stayed feisty and slippery. ROUND TO EVANS.
ROUND TWO: Bisping went after Evans at the start, but Evans caught him and lifted him for a potential big slam. Bisping landed relatively softly, but Evans had control on the mat 30 seconds in. Bisping was in guad. Rogan said Evans needs to avoid a Bisping armbar. At 1:40 the ref stood them. After two minutes and back and forth stand-up, Evans shoved Bisping into the cage to try for a takedown Bisping defended it well. Bisping ate a right and seemed unphased. Bisping landed a knee and went for a late-round takedown and got it just as the buzzer ended the round. Rogan said Evans was seriously winded in the second half of that round. TOO CLOSE TO CALL, LEANING TOWARD EVANS.
ROUND THREE: Rogan said judges may think Bisping got a gift in his last fight and that might play against him in scoring close rounds this time. Evans was breathing much heavier than Bisping at the start of the round, but ame out to center-ring with nice energy and snap to his punches. Bisping loked calm and fresh. Evans got Bisping down at 1:00. Bisping escaped and went for a takedown of Evans. Evans blocked it. They both returned to their feet at 2:00. Evans shot in on Bisping and shoved him against the cage. Bisping looked to be tiring finally. At 3:30 tey were back on their feet in a clinch against the fense, then worked their way back to center ring. AGAIN CLOSE, WITH EDGE TO EVANS.
DECISION: Evans via (29-28, 28-29, 29-28 split decision). That's probably a justified decision. Bisping stepped away in frustration as soon as the decision was announced.
STAR RATING (***-): A soft three-star plus rating. Bisping's takedown defense was impressive. Nothing much else was impressive or on the higher end of exciting. Not a fight bad enough to boo by any means, but not good enough to make up for a lackluster overall event.
POST-FIGHT: Evans and Bisping hugged respectfully just before the decision was announced. Dana White smiled and chatted with Bisping. It seemed to take a lot longer than usual for the judges' decisions to be submitted and tallied. Rogan asked Evans how much of the trash talking was hype or personal. He said it started as hype but turned personal. Bisping said he proved he belongs in the ring with Evans, but he'd rather have a controversial win rather than a controversial loss. He thanked the fans for showing emotion either way (they were chanting "USA" a little bit during the fight). Rogan asked him what the deciding factor was. Bisping said he'll probably get heat for saying it, but he thinks he won the fight. He said every time Evans took him down, he got up ever time without injury. He said he thought he got the better of the stand-up. That's a fair assessment of the fight.
RECOMMENDATION: No way. One of the more lackluster UFC events in a long, long time. Just a flat feeling at the end.
PRELIM FIGHT:
A -- JOE LAUZON (23, 5-10; vs. JASON REINHARDT (38, 5-6; 18-0 record, Decatur, Ill.)
PRE-FIGHT HYPE: Reinhardt is 18-0, but he has fought on smaller shows and there's big questions over the quality of his competition. Lauzon, as usual, didn't blink once during his entire voyage into the Octagon. Lauzon has a six inch reach advantage. Bruce Buffer butchered the pronunciation of Decatur (he said "Deck-ah-tour" instead of "Duh-kay-tur"). He has a month to prepare for these things and that's all he does; shouldn't he at least get those basics right?
ROUND ONE: Reinhardt threw a couple wild swings that Lauzon easily avoided. They clinched against the cage, then Lauzon took over. On the mat, he quickly maneuvered to Reinhardt's back and applied a rear naked choke. Reinhardt sorta tapped, but the ref didn't stop it. Then a couple seconds later he tapped gain.
DECISION: Lauzon via tapout at 1:14.
STAR RATING (**-): A lot more fun in that minute than most of the longer rights. Lauzon looks like he's for real, but there is doubt whether Reinhardt is a real test for him.
POST-FIGHT: Lauzon said it's been great training in Hawaii with B.J. Penn. It's his first chance to train the right way eight hours a day rather than rushing it into 3-4 hours a day. He said he's learned a lot of new tricks.
-Rogan and Goldberg wrapped up the show. Neither overhyped the quality of the show during the wrap, which is nice.
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