Bisping vs. Rashad Headlines UFC 78

From UFC.com:

"On Saturday, November 17th, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to New Jersey for the first time in over two years, and in the main event at Newark’s Prudential Center, two of the most decorated graduates from The Ultimate Fighter will meet, as season two winner “Sugar” Rashad Evans (15-0-1) battles season three winner Michael “The Count” Bisping (15-0) in a battle that will not only leave one of these unbeatens with a loss on his record, but it will validate the victor as the future of the light heavyweight division."

This is a bullshit fight, if you ask me. Both fighters seem content to be where they are in the UFC pecking order and haven't demonstrated the hunger that other young fighters have. Rashad was lucky to escape with a tie against Tito, and Bisping was beaten up by Matt Hammill. Any fight fan who's been paying attention knows not to give too much credence to the notion that this is a match-up of two undefeated fighters. As for the winner of this fight being "the future of the light heavyweight division," what do you expect the promoting organization to say?

Also on the UFC 78 main card will be the following:

Houston Alexander vs. Thiago Silva: For me, this is a much more intriguing match-up at 205 lbs than Bisping & Evans. Expect fireworks from the Nebraska blaster and the Chute Boxe product, as both have shown a propensity for stopping opponents. And as for "the future" of the division, this is the fight to watch.

Karo "The Heat" Parisyan vs. Hector Lombard: Lombard is an Olympic judo practitioner from Cuba, and Karo is Karo. Is it me, or has Karo fallen a bit from welterweight contention? While the Diego Sanzhezes, the Jon Fitches, and Josh Koschecks are given big fights against big names, Karo seems to have become an afterthought. I wonder if a stoppage win against Josh Burkman would have bode better for Karo...

David Terrell vs. Ed Herman: I like this fight. Herman's looked very strong of late and has showed off a slick submission game. Terrell, a world renowned grappler who's been away from the UFC since 2005, once battled Evan Tanner for the (vacant) middleweight belt, so I'm curious to see if he can return to top form. A healthy David Terrell could mean trouble for UFC middleweights.

Frankie Edgar vs. Spencer Fisher: Fight of the night, without a doubt. You'll see.

The undercard will feature the following:

Akihiro Gono vs. Tamdan McCrory: I'm curious to see how McCrory, also known as "The Barncat," fares in the UFC.

Ryo Chonan vs. Thiago Alves: This could be gooooooood. Chonan should be dangerous at 170 lbs., and "The Pitbull" Alves is always fun to watch.

Jason Reinhardt vs. Joe Lauzon: Another showcase for Joe.