I don’t have the stats to back this fact up of course but I find it highly unlikely that the UFC could put together two other men on their roster that would even come close to the 122 fights that these two will bring to Philly with this weekend. Much was made about Brian Ebersole (47-14-1, 13 KOs, 20 SUBs) and his epic journey to the UFC when he debuted back in February which was made possible only thanks to a late injury sustained by Carlos Condit. As it were things couldn’t have worked out better for the promotion or for the 62 fight veteran. Ebersole squared off that night against Chris Lytle and gave it his all in an attempt to ensure that people would remember his name. The fight itself was a no-brainer Fight of the Night winner with Ebersole turning in a quirky, one of a kind performance as he cartwheeled his way through a downright bizarre offensive barrage while simultaneously mugging for the camera and partaking in a thrilling brawl that is still in my top 10 for the year.
Next up for him is another well worn though not worn out mainstay in Dennis Hallman (43-13-2, 5 KOs, 38 SUBs), a man who has had great success on UFC undercards as of late. Overall he’s won six of his last seven and that one blemish was something of a fluke with John Howard connecting on a last second hail mary to score the knockout. His two fights since then have seen him look sharp in UDing Ben Saunders and better still as he staked Karo Parisyan’s UFC career for a second time back in November.
Those who get squeamish around violence vacancies might want to beer run during this bout as it will be filled with wrestling and grappling and really very little else. And while these two guys may have a lot in common I feel supremely confident in saying that Ebersole is an almost sure bet to take this fight. MMA these days is a wrestlers sport and that is where Ebersole shines. He also has the element of surprise on his side as Lytle can surely attest. This battle of the vets only landed on the main card thanks to the elimination of the Rich Franklin/Antonio Rogerio Nogueira match and even though neither one of these guys are capable of producing one PPV buy by themselves it’s impossible to say that they don’t belong here. A win here, which he will get, will bump Ebersole into the upper half of the welterweight division where hopefully we will actually get to see what he is made of. Coming in off the bench and schooling Chris Lytle is nothing to sneeze at and on paper this should be an easier trek for him.
The experience factor on both ends will play a role insofar as I can’t imagine either one of these guys stopping the other. Hallman is certainly no bum on the ground himself and I see no reason why he couldn’t take a round, probably the first, before Ebersole finds his footing. It’s going to be a dirty, grind em out affair, the kind that could easily have the Philadelphia audience up in arms, but considering Ebersole’s flair for the dramatic I see no reason why anybody will have to suffer through anything here.
