Written by Scott Swerbinsky

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UFC 78 is live from the Prudential Center tonight in Newark, NJ and my cousin loves the card for this thing tonight.  The main event is a fight between Michael Bisping and Rashad Evans ... and the undercard is loaded with up and coming talent like Houston Alexander, Karo Parisyan, and Ryo Chonan.  Our resident fight doctor previews tonights event. There comes a time when you look at a UFC pay per view and scratch your head. I have the opportunity to speak to "casual" fans that are so called "true" fans.  To the casual fan, UFC 78, live from The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey might not be that great.

I look at UFC 78 and see one of the best cards top to bottom that we have seen in all of 2007.

The main event has season 2's winner of the Ultimate Fighter taking on season 3's winner in a battle of undefeated fighters.

Michael Bisping is coming off of a fight many thought he lost. Rashad Evans should have lost his last fight as well. Put the two together and you have a main event?  As crazy as it may sound, you sure do.

Bisping is a great personality and a solid fighter. Evans has gotten better and better every time out. This has the makings the best fight of the year. Both guys have a ton to prove and cannot afford to drop down the UFC ladder.

Michael "The Count" Bisping last fought at UFC 75 and won a close decision over crowd favorite Matt Hamill. The match was highly contested and easily could have gone to either of the two fighters. The fight was in the UK so everyone thinks that Bisping won because of that.  I had him winning the fight but could see how others thought he lost.

Rashad Evans last stepped into the octagon at UFC 73. He went to battle with Tito Ortiz who is an icon in the sport. If it wasn't for Tito losing a point on the judges card because he held onto the cage, Rashad would have a loss on his record. That fight ended in a draw and set up a battle of guys with a lot to prove. It has the makings of a great fight and I expect an all out brawl.

The undercard of UFC 78 is loaded in my opinion. Some of the most fun to watch mixed martial artists will be in action tonight.

Karo "The Heat" Parisyan is one of the most well respected fighters in all of the game today. He has all the tools you look for in a champion and is one of the top contenders in the welterweight division. Injuries have kept him from fighting for the belt on a few occasions. He has defeated Matt Serra, Nick Diaz, Josh Burkman , and Chris Lytle who as some of the best in the business.

Ryo Chonan who is also a well respected fighter has the tough task of beating Parisyan. Chonan has fought in Pride and could make a name for himself in his UFC debut. The winner of this match should be right at the top of the ladder to compete for the belt in the near future.

Houston Alexander might be the talk of the UFC. He has set the world on fire with his two quick knockout wins over Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara. He has fought a total of two minutes in the octagon and has developed quite a following. 

If Alexander wants to prove he is legit, tonight will be the night to do so. He will be matched up with another undefeated fighter in Thiago Silva. Also 2-0 in the UFC, Silva has looked just as impressive as Alexander. This is another battle that should provide a fireworks display.

Full fight card:

Michael Bisping vs. Rashad Evans

Houston Alexander vs. Thiago Silva

Joe Doerksen vs. Ed Herman

Ryo Chonan vs. Karo Parisyan

Frankie Edgar vs. Spencer Fisher

Thiago Alves vs. Chris Lytle

Joe Lauzon vs. Jason Reinhardt

Marcus Aurelio vs. Luke Caudillo

Akihiro Gono vs. Tamdan McCrory

There are a lot of up and coming stars in action tonight. Some of the possible future champs will come to the forefront while others are going to get knocked down the ladder. If there was a night to tune in to see the future of the UFC, this is it. Every fight is going to be hotly contested because everyone has something to prove.  I would not miss this card as some of the best fighters for many years to come will be stepping into the cage.