Written by Scott Swerbinsky

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Last night at UFC 78, we had a main event that a lot of people were questioning whether or not it was worthy of headlining a pay-per-view card.  This just in, it wasn't.  But the undercard was a different story.  It was loaded with up and coming stars and all the fights were fast paced and action packed.  My cousin Spoon recaps the whole card for us tonight here at TCF. Last night the UFC made its return to New Jersey in what had the chance to be a surprisingly good card. Most of the fights lived up to the pre fight talks that it would be an exciting night of mixed martial arts.

Going into the evening, the biggest concern was the main event. Did Michael Bisping and Rashad Evans deserve to be headlining a pay per view card? I was one that thought it would be an action packed and fast paced brawl. Boy, was I wrong.

Rashad Evans kept his undefeated record intact with a split decision that I thought went to the wrong fighter. Evans did very little in the match except go for takedowns. After he was able to take Bisping down, he was unable to capitalize and Bisping was back to his feet. The so called showdown was really a major letdown.

Both young fighters were coming off of decisions in their previous fights that were considered gifts. Evans had his draw with Tito Ortiz and Bisping his much talked about win over Matt Hamill. I truly thought both up and comers would have a lot to prove and let it all hang out in the octagon. It was nothing near that and it probably made for the worst main event in UFC history.

The undercard was a different story. All of the other fights had what you look for in a main event. Fast action, aggressive fighters, and great techniques.

So much for all the Houston Alexander hype.  Thiago Silva dominated him in route to a first round TKO. Silva looked impressive working his ground and pound as he clearly overmatched Alexander on the ground. Thiago was able to get full mount and just rained down shots until the ref stepped in.  He is now 12-0 overall and 3-0 in the UFC. Look for some big things from him.

Karo Parisyan did what he seems to always do and that is win. He dominated Pride vet Ryo Chonan.  Karo looked very solid again as he worked every aspect of his game to perfection. This one was never close and Parisyan deserves a title shot.

We have a new title contender in the lightweight division and his name is Frankie Edgar. The fighter from New Jersey, fighting in front of his hometown fans put on a clinic. Spencer Fisher  never had a chance in this one. Edgar dominated with his wrestling skills and showed some pretty good striking skills from the ground.  He is now 3-0 in the UFC and has fought top class opposition.

Another guy who impressed me last night was Ed "Short Fuse" Herman. The Ultimate Fighter vet looks new and improved. His last two times into the cage he has looked like a totally different fighter. The all around skills are there on this kid and he has the heart it takes to be champion in the future.

Herman got a KO victory over a fighter in Joe Doerkson who had once defeated him.  Doerkson was a late replacement but his is a true vet that just ran into a hot fighter.

Full results:

Rashad Evans def. Michael Bisping via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

Thiago Silva def. Houston Alexander via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:25

Karo Parisyan def. Ryo Chonan via unanimous decision

Ed Herman def. Joe Doerksen via KO (punch) - Round 3, 0:39

Frank Edgar def. Spencer Fisher via unanimous decision

Thiago Alves def. Chris Lytle via TKO (doctor's stoppage - cut) - Round 2, 5:00

Joe Lauzon def. Jason Reinhardt via submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:14

Marcus Aurelio def. Luke Caudillo via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:29

Akihiro Gono def. Tamden McCrory via submission (arm bar) - Round 2, 3:19

All in all, another solid night of UFC action. The main event was a real snoozer but the undercard lived up to the hype and provided a ton of action and excitement. There are some fast rising contenders that were in action and they will look to do the headlining in the future.

At the press conference after the fights, it was announced that Middleweight Champion and UFC pound for pound king Anderson "The Spider" Silva will take on Dan Henderson. The fight will more than likely be at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio in March. Now that is a main event.