
UFC 78: “Validation” finally has a main event.
Light heavyweights Rashad Evans (10-0-1) and Michael Bisping (14-0) will headline the November 17 show at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., according to UFC.com.
The bout pits the winners from seasons two and three of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality series against one another. It also ends a rather bizarre situation to find a “marquee” bout to bolster a very solid yet rather underwhelming card in terms of high profile names.
Leading up until today it was widely speculated that Evans would rematch Tito Ortiz. However, it seems as though the UFC lost its patience with “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” on a bout agreement.
So now Bisping — not Ortiz or Dan Henderson as previously rumored — has stepped up to the table to fight Evans.
“The Count” most recently scored a controversial split-decision win over Matt Hamill at UFC 75: “Champion vs. Champion” on September 8. The two were supposed to rematch immediately, but Hamill underwent knee surgery and will be out until early 2008.
Evans is itching to get back in the cage after fighting to a draw with Ortiz at UFC 73: “Stacked” on July 7. He, too, was supposed to rematch Ortiz right away but things behind the scenes clearly did not go as planned.
This showdown, which features two up-and-coming undefeated fighters, is the main event of the evening.
For the latest UFC 78 fight card click here.
186 Comments »


Hope Evans tears Bisping apart…
he probably will
Rashad Evans will destroy him….by far a better striker and a better wrestler with more experienced and actually tough opponents. Not like Bisping that fights no namers that are clearly undeveloped fighters.
I really hope Evans can knockout Bisping like he did to Sean Salmon, so Bisping doesnt celebrate like an idiot for a fight that he did not win.
Strongly dislike both of these fighters, so I do not care who wins and who loses, as long as somebody gets KTFO, I will be happy. I perfer Evans to lose because I can not stand his fighting style.
Somebody (more than likely) will leave with a loss on their record!
“Cmack Oct 3rd, 2007 at 7:56 pm Quote this comment
Hope Evans tears Bisping apart…”
haha i hope both get hurt so bad they never fight again they may both be pretty talented but i hate them both
This is pathetic.
Rashad is nowhere close to top level fighter and neither is Bisping. This is a shit match up that is a slick move on the part of the UFC to make one of these guys look legit… “Hey, Bisping took out Rashad, he is the real deal” or “Hey, Rashad beat ‘The Count’, he is the real deal”. They both suck. They both actually lost their last fights. The only good news is that one of them will lose… probably.
Rashad All The Way
Bisbing Is Shit
Hendo would destroy the lot of them.
Do you guys know what this means? Evans-Bisping = Tito-Wandy. Yes? No? Whaddaya think?
ewwwwwwwwwww HEADLINER????? please no
I was hoping for Hamill to take care of this Business. I would rather Bisping fight Alexander but I will settle for Rashad to modify his behavior.
Who fights Tito then????
This better not be the main event!!!!!!
It better be free on SPIKE.
It should still be a good fight. I’ve seen worse….but I hope Rashad wins, then Hamill vs. Bisping should happen.
i hope this means that neither of the bullshit rematches happen…tito beat rashad, hamill beat bisbing, we don’t need to see either fight again to know that
Didn’t Dana say Rashad and Tito would rematch without any other fights before?
you guys got screwed, nice mainevent
anyways two things will happen now either tito will fight hendo at this event or maybe tito will fight the axe murder in dec. watch one of these will happen.
i can’t wait to see bisping get booed out of the stage, i hope rashad rips him a new asshole.
Mania, sounds as if you think Tito is to blame for this? Did you see anything out there pointing to this conclusion? Just curious.
[quote comment=”165175″]Mania, sounds as if you think Tito is to blame for this? Did you see anything out there pointing to this conclusion? Just curious.[/quote]
If Tito is already under contract, how much of an agreement does the UFC need? The contract should say “This is your opponent on this date.”
evans takes this fight pretty easily in my opinion. If hammill can stand with bisping evans will be able to stand with him easily and also take him down whenever he wants. this should be a very onesided fight in favor a rashad evans.
after both of their prior matches, this simply cannot be the main event of a ppv card. i really hope that a matchup of tito v
hendo is added to this card. on the brightside, the december card is unreal!
I think it will be a great fight & a good stepping stone for both of them, but agree that Tito Vs Henderson would be fricking awesome….
Yeah, this one should be an easy win for Rashad….. he is a much more powerful fighter. I don’t see Bisping taking this.
Evans will win..but, what the shit?
THAT’s the main event? Next Dana will try and serve up a couple of the whining bitches who left the TUF house.
BOOOO!
The best fighter either man has beaten is rashad over Jason Lambert. How is this a main event caliber fight? Ufc needs to push some of its 79 card into 78 please
At this point I really doubt that Tito is going to be on the card. The UFC is trying to take a hard stance with contract negotiations. Now they’re left with a card that has very little star power. As far as Tito Ortiz has fallen, he still is a big name and a guy people will pay to watch. Neither Rashad nor Bisping has the drawing power that he does, which is what you really need in a main event. I know alot of the plans the UFC had for this card fell through (I’m looking at you, Sean Sherk), but I hope this show bombs. The East Coast fans deserve better. Instead of loading up the star fighters for the upteenth Las Vegas or California card, they should’ve made a better effort to spread the wealth.
This card isn’t all that exciting, rashad vs Bis, as 2 undefeated fighters and 2 TUF winners, is decent, but as a Headliner?… get Kimbo versus Tank, that would be more anticipated than this fight and UFC wouldn’t have to pay them much.
Rashad beats Bis, even tough I wasn’t impressed with either ones last fight. I don’t have too much to say about this fight as you notice neither does anyone else.
No way in hell i pay for this PPV
DAMMIT !!! i cant believe i got tickets to this crap ass show !!!! AAARRRGH whyyyyy !!!!!!!!!!
Don’t worry, they still have 2 more fights to make other than the ones, rummored by mania, they wont mess up like they did with franklin vs. okami, they will have two really good fights.
[quote comment=”165228″]This card isn’t all that exciting, rashad vs Bis, as 2 undefeated fighters and 2 TUF winners, is decent, but as a Headliner?… get Kimbo versus Tank, that would be more anticipated than this fight and UFC wouldn’t have to pay them much.
Rashad beats Bis, even tough I wasn’t impressed with either ones last fight. I don’t have too much to say about this fight as you notice neither does anyone else.[/quote]
Thank GOD, I’ve always wondered who would win tank abbott or kimbo. Cant believe someone else thought about it. but as for all of you who hate rashad or bisping, they may both be B level fighters but I think Rashad has what it takes to be in the top ten one of these days. As for Bisping If he beats Hamill (I mean really beat hamill) Then he he has a shot at moving up in the world.
Ugh and I paid good money for tickets tot his piece of shit. tito vs henderson better get signed. this is simply not a main event let alone one for the tri-state.
haha what a terrible main event. I agree jason, Tito vs Hendeson is one of the very few things that could save this card
And the UFC won’t be getting $40 from me in November…
I’m watching in a bar or not at all. I love UFC, but this event is not good enough for me to buy it.
Both these guys are douche rags, however Evans is athletic as hell and somewhat legitimate. He beat 6′8 250lb Brad Aimes…he’ll absolutely demolish the petite Bisping.
Rashad & Bisping
Tito & Hendo (Hendo all day long)
Wandy & Chuck (Chuck via mustache ride)
Rampage & Forrest (both guys are likeable and VERY marketable)
Jardine & Machida (Machida deserves something and Jardine will get Rampage/Forrest winner)
Houston & Shogun ( Houston’s last test, if he passes he goes bigtime, if Shogun fails….OHHH BOY!)
Wow so is the Tank vs. Kimbo rumor or definite?? UFC has a lot of ground to make up on this card. With all the top level fighter in the hunt right now, this is the main event we get. Two B level fighters mixing it up. Validation? Like someone said up top, they are going to Validate one of these guys careers. This needs to be a freebie. Hell even the 2 freebies we have gotten were much more solid then this. This is really upsetting that thiis is the event we get next. I think the UFC are really playing us all for uneducated fans by adding this as a headliner. Wow 2 b-level guys to take my $40, nope…The only good thing is that Rashad will run right over Bisping.
At this stage of the game I gotta go with Kimbo over Tank soley based upon Tanks increasing age. Then again you gotta figure it would be a slugfest which Tank has a strong chance, not like when Mir grabbed his leg for a leglock. Besides, anyone seen the clip when Kimbo gets taken out by a fat Boston cop? Well the guy was a monster like 6′6 or 6′8 but he phucked Kimbo up!
Rashad is a much better fighter than you guys are giving credit and his style has improved greatly….. he crushes Bisping and sends him down to 185…
im english but i still think evans wins by his superior wrestling.his striking has also improved.they match up well in size because they are both small lhws.its great alexander is on the card aswell the guys a killer.
[quote comment=”165089″]Do you guys know what this means? Evans-Bisping = Tito-Wandy. Yes? No? Whaddaya think?[/quote]
no it means tito/henderson.
[quote comment=”165080″]This is pathetic.
Rashad is nowhere close to top level fighter and neither is Bisping. This is a shit match up that is a slick move on the part of the UFC to make one of these guys look legit… “Hey, Bisping took out Rashad, he is the real deal” or “Hey, Rashad beat ‘The Count’, he is the real deal”. They both suck. They both actually lost their last fights. The only good news is that one of them will lose… probably.[/quote]
You couldn’t be more right. I can’t believe this will be the main event and Dana White expects us to pay 40 bucks to watch this.
Rashad picks up Bisping and slams him violently, as Bisping’s head bounces against the canvas like a basketball.
[quote comment=”165264″]And the UFC won’t be getting $40 from me in November…[/quote]
You aint kiddin.This might be a good match up but what a lousy main event.
Hope Bisping nails that punk - tho’ nether will ever be champ - both should drop to 185
Rashad is a great fighter in my opinion. Bisping is fair but I think the Hamill fight exposed how over rated he really is. I hope Rashad rolls through him after that hamill fight.
If Rashad and Bisping are the main card I am switching back to viewing boxing. It seems more credible at this point. Good job Dana!
[quote comment=”165067″]Hope Evans tears Bisping apart…[/quote]
are you kidding me bisping will tear rashad apart, rasgad has no cardio, he improving it at big bear but it aint great. bisping can go 11 5 minit round changing opponents each round and he is an amazing well rounded fighter and you wait and see i guarentee bisping gets a title shot after he wins this fight , and he will be crowned champion of the world .
[quote comment=”165392″][quote comment=”165067″]Hope Evans tears Bisping apart…[/quote]
are you kidding me bisping will tear rashad apart, rasgad has no cardio, he improving it at big bear but it aint great. bisping can go 11 5 minit round changing opponents each round and he is an amazing well rounded fighter and you wait and see i guarentee bisping gets a title shot after he wins this fight , and he will be crowned champion of the world .[/quote]
Are you kidding me? Rashad lasted 3 with one of the best cardio guys in the business (Tito). Did you you watch Bisping’s last fight? He got his ass handed to him. Bisping sucks, and Rashd will prove that and hopefully shut Bisping’s big mouth. I can’t believe he made the comments he did after losing his last fight to Hamill.
This is good news bad news. The good news is maybe we won’t have to see Ortiz-Evans, the bad news is we won’t get to see Bisping beaten properly by Hamill.
[quote comment=”165392″][quote comment=”165067″]Hope Evans tears Bisping apart…[/quote]
are you kidding me bisping will tear rashad apart, rasgad has no cardio, he improving it at big bear but it aint great. bisping can go 11 5 minit round changing opponents each round and he is an amazing well rounded fighter and you wait and see i guarentee bisping gets a title shot after he wins this fight , and he will be crowned champion of the world .[/quote]
he didnt look too fresh after the first couple of digs off hamil.bisping does well against strikers and ju jitsu but is lost against good wrestlers.
the card so far is
rashad evans vs michael bisping
houston alexander vs thiago silva
dave terrel vs ed herman
karo parisyn vs hector lombard
frankie edgar vs spencer fisher
thats not that bad imo, i think u all are being spoiled by these free unification fights on spike tv,
[quote comment=”165414″]the card so far is
rashad evans vs michael bisping
houston alexander vs thiago silva
dave terrel vs ed herman
karo parisyn vs hector lombard
frankie edgar vs spencer fisher
thats not that bad imo, i think u all are being spoiled by these free unification fights on spike tv,[/quote]
who do u think is gonna be fight of the night?
[quote comment=”165415″][quote comment=”165414″]the card so far is
rashad evans vs michael bisping
houston alexander vs thiago silva
dave terrel vs ed herman
karo parisyn vs hector lombard
frankie edgar vs spencer fisher
thats not that bad imo, i think u all are being spoiled by these free unification fights on spike tv,[/quote]
who do u think is gonna be fight of the night?[/quote]
..Frankie Edgar vs Spencer Fisher.**
I hope Rashad wooops his ass.
this is not a main event… its and undercard in my opinion.. i will not be getting ufc 78… so far
[quote comment=”165070″]Rashad Evans will destroy him….by far a better striker and a better wrestler with more experienced and actually tough opponents. Not like Bisping that fights no namers that are clearly undeveloped fighters.
I really hope Evans can knockout Bisping like he did to Sean Salmon, so Bisping doesnt celebrate like an idiot for a fight that he did not win.[/quote]
I could not have said it better. Bisping is a douche and I think he matches up poorly with evans. Rashad should give him a warm welcome back to America and this time the judges won’t have a chance to screw anyone out of a win. My fearless prediction, Rashad knocks him out in the second round!
This looks like an awesome card…an awesome card if it was an UFN.
Wow..Bisbing actually fighting in the States??
This is a good card - Bisping will plow thru rashad. One bad fight and you are writing him off. Only knowledgable mma fans know the bisping pedigree. UFC fighters are good but the two most dominant champions (rampage and silva) are both imports from other organisations. Typical USA hillbilly insular attitude. Dont reply to this as Im off a cup of tea.
[quote comment=”165194″]I think it will be a great fight & a good stepping stone for both of them, but agree that Tito Vs Henderson would be fricking awesome….[/quote]
I agree, I think Rashad will aproach Bisping like he did Tito, and if you let Bisping into a groove he can put up a good fight. I think this is going to be closer than everyone thinks.
but, if this is the main event, yes it better be free.
They need to throw Tito in there with Houston Alexander, Tito would get knocked silly.
hey im in england so get all the ufc FREE!!!!on bravo the day after.great isnt it.
[quote post=”3499″]ewwwwwwwwwww HEADLINER????? please no [/quote]
[quote post=”3499″]This better not be the main event!!!!!! [/quote]
[quote post=”3499″]It better be free on SPIKE. [/quote]
[quote post=”3499″]you guys got screwed, nice mainevent[/quote]
[quote post=”3499″]after both of their prior matches, this simply cannot be the main event of a ppv card. i really hope that a matchup of tito v
hendo is added to this card.[/quote]
[quote post=”3499″]BOOOO!
The best fighter either man has beaten is rashad over Jason Lambert. How is this a main event caliber fight? Ufc needs to push some of its 79 card into 78 please [/quote]
[quote post=”3499″]this is not a main event… its and undercard in my opinion.. i will not be getting ufc 78… so far [/quote]
[quote post=”3499″]The East Coast fans deserve better. Instead of loading up the star fighters for the upteenth Las Vegas or California card, they should’ve made a better effort to spread the wealth. [/quote]
[quote post=”3499″]Ugh and I paid good money for tickets tot his piece of shit. tito vs henderson better get signed. this is simply not a main event let alone one for the tri-state. [/quote]
THIS REALLY SUCKS! I am with all of you above. I was all excited coming to work today, knowing that the tickets go onsale today, so I’m thinking, “If tickets go onsale today, they GOTTA name a main event” So, first thing I do is go to UFC.com to check out any announcements. And what do I see? Rashad vs Bisping as a Main Event??? WHAT??? I don’t get it, UFC? What are you doing here?
How are they going to call a Michael Bisping fight a Main Event, when his last two fights were in England, and those weren’t even the main event. If you can’t headline in your own backyard, you can’t headline anywhere! PATHETIC.
I really wish that instead of naming all of the main card matches, they would at least announce that there will be 1 more fight added to the main card. Just knowing that, I would buy tickets in the hope of seeing Henderson beat anyone, or Tito get his ass kicked by just about anyone.
[quote post=”3499″]Do you guys know what this means? Evans-Bisping = Tito-Wandy. Yes? No? Whaddaya think? [/quote]
I SURE HOPE NOT! Yesterday, all signs were pointing towards Liddell/Silva in December. The UFC has to make the fight happen. I don’t care about Tito, plus he has nothing to do with sorting out the LHW division. He doesn’t deserve to fight Wanderlei. Yeah, I know Wandi probably wants to avenge his loss and all, but right now, Wandi is in the title picture, and Tito isn’t.
I have to let this all sink in between now and 10 am when tickets go on sale. 99% chance that I’m not buying. {as a tear slowly rolls down my cheek} Well, not really, but I felt like adding the dramatic effect.
I can see Bisping/Evans being the main event for an Ultimate Fight Night, but NOT a PPV, especially ther first PPV in the north east since UFC 55.
[quote post=”3499″]hey im in england so get all the ufc FREE!!!!on bravo the day after.great isnt it.[/quote]
We can all watch the fights for free on the internet the day after too, but that’s not the point. In America, we like to see our action live, we don’t like the old stale leftovers
This is a terrible main event. How can you possibly do this, If our going to break up all these rematches that were suppose to take place (rashad vs tito, hamill vs bisping) at least make it worth my while. As a guy I on the east coast, in which is still going to be a 7 hour drive to this event, I was looking forward to this when I saw the location was set a few months ago. Now im considering not buying tickets.I wouldnt even be that excited if this was free.With the surge of great light heavy weights coming into the UFC, and Dana discussing dream fights, we get shit.With a star studded 205 class you could have made something great happen for the east coast. So thank you Dana White and Joe Silva for fucking up the one UFC that will come to the east coast and leaving a great impression on the east coast fans. You could of made this card great but you decided to screw all the east coast fans.Thanks alot and Im sure youll save all the good matchups for Las Vegas and California.
stale leftovers all bravo does is take the fights in the dark out peckerhead.
I like Ortiz/Alexander! I’d love to see Tito get super-kneed in the face.
So yes, I’m as surprised at this matchup but I have to admit: I do like it more than Ortiz/Evans 2 and Bisping/Hamill 2. I hope they add more good cards to UFC 78.
[quote post=”3499″]the card so far is
rashad evans vs michael bisping
houston alexander vs thiago silva
dave terrel vs ed herman
karo parisyn vs hector lombard
frankie edgar vs spencer fisher
thats not that bad imo, i think u all are being spoiled by these free unification fights on spike tv,
who do u think is gonna be fight of the night?[/quote]
fight of the night will be Houston Alexander .. another first minute win..
[quote comment=”165441″]stale leftovers all bravo does is take the fights in the dark out peckerhead.[/quote]
peckerhead, lol, look out violentmike
I just dont care, Dana completely fuked this card royally.
quote]
Are you kidding me? Rashad lasted 3 with one of the best cardio guys in the business (Tito). Did you you watch Bisping’s last fight? He got his ass handed to him. Bisping sucks, and Rashd will prove that and hopefully shut Bisping’s big mouth. I can’t believe he made the comments he did after losing his last fight to Hamill.[/quote]
that fight was not a test of cardio at all he lasted 3 rounds but it was a cautious 3 rounds and he was gassed after 2 , probably the most inactivity in a fight for easily 2 or 3 years , maybe more !and titos cardio is amazing you did ot see him sitting down after round 2 .
This is a great card, it might not have “big” names, but it has really good and exciting fighters, I don’t blame the UFC for not having a bigger event, b/c the LW belt was supposed to be on this card, but Sherk F@# up ig time with his appeal, he better be clear out.
Interesting fight -not for a main event thou
I’m going with Bisping on this one but not by far and not the biggest fan of either fighter.
AT LEAST WE GET TO SEE ONE OF THESE FUCKERS HAVE A LOSS ON THEIR RECORD!!!
[quote post=”3499″]stale leftovers all bravo does is take the fights in the dark out peckerhead.[/quote]
[quote post=”3499″]peckerhead, lol, look out violentmike [/quote]
LOL, I know right, what a poopyface
dana is a reject if this is the main event. fischer and frankie edgar is the best fight on this card. dont get me wrong, fishcher is an animal, and can take a punch like none other, but tito/hendo or tito/wanderlei better get put on this card because i have always wanted to go to a UFC event, and i live in new york so now is my chance to go and i am not going to want to go to an event where bisping/rashad is the main event.
rashad will kill him. dana if you are reading this, BOTH OF THESE 2 MEN LOST!!!! there last fights, so based on that alone, i dont understand how you make that a main event. the tri state area deserves better, and i know that sherk messed up so i dont get why you cant move a fight from december to november and do something beneficial for once, u already almost lost a lot of fans for this whole dana vs tito garbage and now you are going to lose a lot of your tri state fans who finally have a chance to go to an event that is if anything a ufc fight night event card caliber.
This will be a card of good fights.
However, this is a pitiful return to NJ. For all the folks in the area that are dying to see a UFC show, I think many will NOT be going to this.
Everyone I have talked to that didn’t already buy tickets is holding off until either some better marquee matchups are announced, or they will just not go.
Sad, but the UFC really messed up here.
Go compare the matches for 78 vs 79. I just puked!
I’d fancy Rashad to take the win here. Bisping can’t deal with very good wrestlers. He was afraid to stand in the pocket against Hamill as he could take Bisping down almost at will. Both are kind of undersized, yes even though Rashad fought at HW. If Bisping clocks him one Rashad might dance around like only he can. If Bisping gets caught he’ll stumble around like a drunk. Did you see his $h!tty footwork against Hamill. This UFC card is a stinker. That’s not a main event.
[quote comment=”165433″]hey im in england so get all the ufc FREE!!!!on bravo the day after.great isnt it.[/quote]
Yeah they’re just jealous they have to pay lol…Seriously though Bravo is a sweet deal for us in our part of the world.
We never have to pay!
This is a good fight, but not main event of a PPV good. And it’s pretty clear, at least to me, that we wouldn’t have this situation if Tito wasn’t ducking Rashad. He knows that if he hadn’t grabbed the cage to avoid about 28 slams, Rashad would have finished him. Face facts, it’s Tito’s mouth, not his skills, that are keeping him on UFC cards. His ego, which is even larger than his own head and his girlfriend’s snootch put together, can’t handle a loss to a guy who’s on the fringes of the top 10 UFC LHWs.
[quote comment=”165485″][quote comment=”165433″]hey im in england so get all the ufc FREE!!!!on bravo the day after.great isnt it.[/quote]
Yeah they’re just jealous they have to pay lol…Seriously though Bravo is a sweet deal for us in our part of the world.
We never have to pay![/quote]
thx m8.even being patriotic bisping is in no way a main eventer.come to think of it neither is rashad.i do feel sorry for u folk ova there who have to pay for this tat.its as bad as the northern ireland show.
still hoping the drop in a true main even announcement today.
hey im looking forward to alexander/silva.hey alexanders a bad dude.he used to have 4/5 amateur fights a night and no one went passed a minute with him.people say well what about his ju jitsu uve got to keep him down first.i think he is the strongest lhw in the world by miles.if he does a number on silva while chuck/wanderlei get it on tito/henderson get it on jardine/griffin 2 shoguns injured put him in with rampage.hey why not?
If they add another big name fight it saves this card. The card is good dont get me wrong.But keep in mind tickets are not just being sold to avid MMA fans, majority of tickets are sold to casual viewers who only know big names and love knockouts. There are alot of great match ups but just happen to not be big names but the casual viewer will not know them and not buy tickets. Need to get big names on the card when you havent came to a place in years to keep that fan base returning. Your expanding all over the world with great fights. Why not the east coast of the U.S.? Tito vs Henderson as a main event would make me drive the 7 hours to NJ and it makes the card 10x better.