TUF champions Evans and Bisping top off explosive card with style clash

Reality show stars, reality show champions, undefeated fighters, and now headliners, Rashad Evans and Michael Bisping have plenty in common. However, it is their differences that determines who steps up in the 205-pound class. Can Evans notch another dominating ground performance or will Bisping return to England with a longer highlight reel? By Danny Acosta

When two unblemished fighters clash, one leaves defeated. But the last outings of Rashad Evans and Michael Bisping seemingly have defied that truth.

Evans went three rounds with former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in July. The back and forth battle saw the Michigan State University wrestler come up short on the judges score cards. But Ortiz lived up to his “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” moniker by cheating himself out of a victory due to a point deduction. The fight ended in a draw. Evans retained his undefeated record.

Two months later, Bisping picked up a split decision victory over MMA novice Matt Hamill and kept his loss column empty. The decision was controversial enough to turn London’s 02 Arena against “The Count” and for the American. Much like the post-fight fallout of the Evans/Ortiz bout, fans clamored for a rematch, but sequels in those sagas are taking a back seat to the first ever clash of TUF champions.

Evans and Bisping have engaged in battle already from behind keyboards through UFC.com blogs. In New Jersey on Saturday night, no words matter as they enter the Octagon looking for “Validation.” Victory boils down to the classic match-up of wrestler versus striker.

Evans, a former Michigan State wrestler, has employed his stifling top game en route to five victories in the Octagon.

Bisping has the advantage of the fight beginning where he wants the fight to stay. The Cyprus, England native needs to keep his distance and find angles for his punches as a counter to Evan’s jerky head movement. Kicks and knees are dangerous to throw against an explosive wrestler, but pay dividends if timed right. “The Count” likes to put the pressure on—something Evans has never encountered standing from a striker of Bisping’s caliber. If the Wolfslair Academy standout can test his opponents’ grit while keeping the fight standing, his chances for validation increase exponentially.

Bisping struggled against wrestlers in Eric Schafer and Matt Hamill, but has the grit to find his way out of tough spots. The native New Yorker, however, has a deeper gas tank and will persist in controlling the fight on the ground. Bisping has found his success by striking and punishing opponents on the ground from top position. Evans bypasses both offenses simply by employing his game plan.

The Greg Jackson-trained fighter has endured stiffer competition and seen less danger than his British adversary. Evans has the experience over the former Cage Rage champion. And unless Bisping can elevate his wrestling or jiu-jitsu to dictate the fight, Evans will have validation.

The Prudential Center is subject to an earthquake in the featured fight of the night when Houston Alexander stands across from Thiago Silva in a light heavyweight contest. The Nebraskan is untested in the later stanzas of the fight as well as on the ground. That is only because he crumbled Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara in less than two minutes total. Silva is an undefeated Chute Boxe black belt with a strong stand-up game and—whether he likes it or not—will stand with Alexander. He demonstrated a lack of cardio against Tomasz Drwal, but more refined striking than Alexander.

The father of six must follow his explosiveness all the way to victory. Silva can knockout Alexander, but the onslaught the radio host brings to the Octagon is best avoided on the ground—if he can last long enough to get it there.

In welterweight action, Karo Parisyan will test Ryo Chonan in the former Pride fighter’s debut. The judo master is upset he never received a title shot after dropping out of a clash with Matt Hughes. Chonan stands in his way. Octagon jitters and a drop in weight may trouble the “Piranha,” but his standup is going to turn down “The Heat.”

Parisyan must force the fight to the ground and pound out the man responsible for Anderson Silva’s last loss. The resiliency of both these fighters pushes the fight into decision territory. The Armenian has a distinct advantage as long as he watches out for the flying heel hook.

A clear fight of the night candidate before anyone enters the cage is a lightweight challenge between Spencer Fisher and Frankie Edgar. A product of the Miletich Fighting Systems, Fisher has devastating eight-point strikes and an active ground game. Edgar is tireless wrestler with dynamic hands and solid submission defense.

The New Jersey native carries two distinctive advantages into this fight: home field advantage and wrestling, which is Fisher’s weakness. Ground and pound is where he can pull away in this fight. While he lacks experience compared to Fisher, his classic three-round bout against Tyson Griffin highlights Edgar is ready for anything.

If anyone is going to show “The Answer” defeat, it is “The King.” Fisher needs to lay heavy leather on Edgar’s chin and counter takedowns with knees. He cannot depend on Edgar to make a mistake or fatigue—he won’t. Fisher must force the issue en route to a knockout.

Middleweights Joe Doerksen and Ed Herman look to up their stock in the swing bout of the night. Doerksen, fresh off surrendering the WEC’s vacant strap to Paulo Filho, has already defeated “Short Fuse.” But the Team Quest fighter has the ground and pound coupled with three more years of experience to extend the fight to a trilogy. He has the grit to survive and can push the pace to a technical knockout, but only if he can keep his temperament under control in Doerksen’s submission web.

American Top Team’s Thiago Alves steps into the cage against Chris Lytle at 170lbs. His excellent sprawl keeps the fight standing and Lytle does not have the wrestling to change this, nullifying his potent submission game. Alves’ chopping leg kicks are a nice counter to Lytle’s boxing, but “Lights Out” is battle tested against strikers. “The Pitbull” has trouble with good strikers and does not preserve through bad spots. He is either dominating or not. Given the Hoosier’s ability to make fighters look unimpressive, Alves may fold deep in the fight.

Akihiro Gono, Marcus Aurelio, and Joe Lauzon round out the rest of the preliminary action on a night where reality show standouts continue standing in spotlight. As the UFC finally returns to New Jersey, Evans and Bisping must prove themselves as worthy headliners. This is a difficult task on a night with at least three fights of pure fireworks, but the TUF champions have explosiveness of their own.