First and foremost, this is one of the rare fights that actually benefited from UFC 133’s long string of fighter injuries. Originally, this fight would have been all the way down the card and featured on the “UFC Prelims LIVE” Facebook broadcast. Now, the fight is on the main Pay-Per-View card.

Brian Ebersole has been fighting for over ten years, and it’s taken him that long to finally get a chance to fight inside of the Octagon. Ebersole has lost fourteen times in his many years as a Mixed Martial Artist, but he’s won more than triple that: in total, Ebersole’s record stands at a gargantuan 47-14-1 with one No Contest, making Brian Ebersole a veteran of over sixty fights.

The shining moment of Ebersole’s expansive career came at UFC 127, when Ebersole stepped in as a late replacement to take on journeyman Chris Lytle. Lytle was on a fantastic hotstreak and seemed poised for another shot at top-division status, but Ebersole ended up winning the bout and pulling off a major upset.

Ebersole’s opponent, Dennis Hallman, has been fighting since 1997. Like Ebersole, Hallman has also lost more than a dozen times. Fortunately, he is also like Ebersole in the fact that both men have three times as many wins as losses. Hallman has fought in promotions all around the world, and competed in the UFC for the first time in 2000. Hallman is also a veteran of over sixty fights.

Hallman is currently 2-1 in his most-recent run inside the Octagon. After losing in his UFC return bout, Hallman is currently on a two-fight win-streak. Most recently, Hallman outworked and quickly stopped Karo Parisyan at UFC 123 back in November 2010. “The Heart” was pretty out of shape and well past his prime, but it was still a pretty good and notable victory for Hallman. Hallman has been sitting on the sidelines ever since, healing from a knee injury that kept him from competing at a “Fight Night” event in March.

I think it’s astounding that when you put Ebersole’s and Hallman’s records together, you’ve got a total of over one hundred and twenty fights. That’s literally a lifetime’s worth of experience, and that makes it pretty hard to pick a winner in this bout.

Nevertheless, I feel confident that Ebersole will probably win this fight. Ebersole may have had only one fight in the UFC compared to the plethora that Hallman has had throughout the years, but Hallman hasn’t beaten anyone in the UFC of note since miraculously submitting Matt Hughes over ten years ago. Meanwhile, Ebersole just got done defeating Chris Lytle, who was making serious waves. If Lytle wasn’t a Top 10 Welterweight when Ebersole beat him, he was just outside the list.

That’s what I think it’s going to come down to in this fight: the quality of the one opponent Ebersole beat in the UFC will beat out the quantity of UFC fights Hallman has had, and Ebersole will take the win.

We head to MMA Mania for official confirmation that UFC 133 will feature a “UFC Prelims LIVE” broadcast. Five free fights will be streamed over the UFC’s Facebook page so long as you “Like” their page. The five fights currently scheduled are as follows:  Brian Ebersole vs. Dennis Hallman, Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace, Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce, Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan, and Rafael Natal vs. Constantinos Philippou.

I think this is going to be a pretty good preliminary broadcast, several of these fights have a lot of potential.

Brian Ebersole is a bit of an enigma to me: he gave a bizarre performance against Chris Lytle, but it was the good kind of bizarre: the one that your opponent isn’t prepared for. Part of me dislikes Ebersole for ruining one of Chris Lytle’s best runs, but another part is really interested to see how Ebersole follows up that victory. This fight should definitely prove whether or not he’s a flash in the pan.

Ivan Menjivar was an early highlight of the prelims of the amazing UFC 129 event, the event that had so many great preliminary fights that it won the war and led me to crown “UFC Prelims LIVE” as my new “dark horse favorite”. Menjivar is 2-3 in his five most recent fights, but at UFC 129 he scored a great TKO. Pace is a 5-1 bright young upstart, so I think this is going to be an interesting “veteran vs. prospect” fight.

Pierce/Hendricks will probably decide which of these two fighters fights on the main card in their next bout. Hendricks is 10-1 with multiple fights in both the UFC and WEC, which is pretty remarkable considering that he’s only had eleven fights total. Meanwhile, Pierce is 12-3 and has also fought in the UFC numerous times.

The fight that I’m definitely looking forward to the most on this preliminary broadcast is former WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown taking on Nam Phan. This is definitely a “do or die” fight for Brown, one more loss and he’ll be on the dreaded three-fight losing-streak, which is one of the tried and true ways to get the UFC to release you. Meanwhile, Phan has been out of action since getting robbed of a win in a fight with Leonard Garcia. Whoever wins this fight will take an important step forward in their career.

And finally, I look forward to seeing Rafael Natal back in the Octagon, even though I have no idea who his opponent is. I honestly don’t remember Philippou’s fight at UFC 128, so that should definitely tell you who I’m rooting for.

Overall, this looks like it’ll be a fun preliminary broadcast and I’ll definitely try not to miss it.

Chief among them, I thought I would never see Michael Bisping finish someone on the feet, since collectively I’ve heard that he is the “pillow hands” of the middleweight division, that could have also been a whole lot of fighters that were in attendance at the Acer Arena were not necessarily the biggest fans of “The Count”.

While Bisping’s feat was impressive in of itself, several men shined brighter and earned the evening’s coveted “Fight Night” awards and all took home an additional $75k in bonus earnings.

Mark Hunt recorded his first victory in nearly five-years when he knocked out veteran Chris Tuchscherer this past weekend, showing some much improved takedown defense and patience inside the cage. The former K-1 world champion walked right through the wrestling standout, staggering him in the opening moments of the fight before taking Chris into the second-round, connecting on a well placed short right-uppercut which sent Tuchscherer, a training partner of former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, crashing to the mat face first. Hunt knew the action was over, and walked away after the blow landed without waiting for the referee to intervene in on the action. The classy walk-off KO earned Hunt the evening’s “Knockout of the Night” award, pocketing him some extra change in his pocket, and all before an adored hometown crowd in Australia.

An early upset on the card, UFC newcomer Brian Ebersole made good on his first foray inside the octagon when he defeated budding contender Chris Lytle on the pay-per-view event. Lytle was the heavy favorite heading into the bout, while Ebersole, largely an unknown to the casual fan, was stepping up on a few weeks notice for an injured Carlos Condit. However, Brian did not deter, and out grappled, and outstruck Lytle en route to a decision win–even knocking down the noted striker with a big knee to the chin. For their efforts, both men left the Acer Arena with an additional $75k for their “Fight of the Night” performances.

Finally, Kyle Noke, the season eleven veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter” made quick work of former castmate Chris Camozzi, submitting him with a swift rear-naked choke. Camozzi’s attempt at a takedown was botched when Noke was able to reverse position and immediately wind up in mount, eventually securing Chris’ back and sunk in the fight ending submission hold which came in less than two-minutes of the opening round. With the win, Noke not only recorded a win before his beloved Australian natives, but left the cage with the “Submission of the Night” award and some extra cash to boot.

According to MMA Weekly, the UFC was able to draw an attendance of 18, 186 fans to the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. And those fans ended up giving the UFC a massive 3.5 million dollars in gate receipts. According to the report, the UFC raked in over a million more dollars for this event than they did for their first Australian event.

MMA Weekly also brings us the scoop on who took home the UFC’s traditional post-fight awards and bonuses. This time, four fighters each received a $75,000 bonus for their spirited performances at UFC 127.

In one of the biggest upsets of the night, Brian Ebersole fought tough UFC veteran Chris Lytle to a tough three-round decision. Both men performed so admirably that the UFC saw fit to award their encounter “Fight of the Night”. The UFC’s “Knockout of the Night” award was given to MMA veteran and PRIDE FC notable Mark Hunt, who scored his first win in almost five years at UFC 127. Hunt broke an epic six-fight losing-streak by nearly breaking his hand over the head of Chris Tuchscherer. Tuchscherer has now lost three of his last four bouts, with all three losses coming by way of (T)KO. The “Submission of the Night” award went to Kyle Noke for his thrilling and lightning-fast Rear Naked Choke victory over Chris Camozzi.

All in all, it seems like this event was a pretty big success. I think the UFC has put on two pretty entertaining cards in Australia, both of which have been greeted with an avalanche of fans and support. I think the UFC will have big plans for Australia in the next few years.

I also think that Brian Ebersole and Chris Lytle definitely deserved “Fight of the Night” for their thrilling war of attrition. Win or lose, Chris Lytle once again took home a post-fight bonus. He may never become a UFC champion, but Chris Lytle remains one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC’s Welterweight division and, dare I say it, in the UFC in general. I’m honestly not too sure what the future holds for Chris Lytle, but I know I’ll be ready to support him no matter where he goes from here.

I’m honestly pretty glad that Mark Hunt was able to finally… and I do mean finally… win an MMA bout. He didn’t exactly beat a world-class opponent, but still, he scored a pretty great KO. I’m pretty sure the UFC won’t keep Hunt around for long, but at least he’s finally broken his losing streak, and he did it in the world’s premiere Mixed Martial Arts organization. I also really enjoyed Kyle Noke’s submission win and I think he fully deserved his “Submission of the Night” bonus.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of UFC 127’s live attendance and gate receipts and/or UFC 127’s post-fight bonus winners?

5. Anthony Perosh storming through Tom Blackledge.

UFC fans, even old-school UFC fans, only knew Anthony Perosh as a Heavyweight fighter that had gone winless in the UFC. But Perosh made his Light Heavyweight debut at UFC 127 in front of his hometown crowd. With the entire arena behind him, and at a weight where he could finally muscle opponents to the ground in order to use his considerable ground expertise (he now has eight wins by submission), Perosh turned in one of the best performances of his career, submitting his opponent in under three minutes, much to the delight of the Acer Arena fans. And much to my delight as well, because I felt that Perosh’s big win and dramatic post-fight celebration was one of the highlights of the night.

4. Kyle Noke quickly dispatching Chris Camozzi.

It’s always important to start a Pay-Per-View event off with a bang. And nothing quite says “bang” like a quick finish in under two minutes. Noke made short work of Camozzi, finishing him via a great Rear Naked Choke at 1:35 of the very first round. It was a pretty big moment in Noke’s career: he’s now won five straight fights. It was definitely a highlight of the night.

3. Brian Ebersole upsetting Chris Lytle.

Once more Chris Lytle found himself in the middle of a tough war with a very skilled veteran, and once more he ended up fighting his heart out in a classic performance that he unfortunately was not able to win. Brian Ebersole completely took me by surprise, and I immensely enjoyed this fight. I hate to see Chris Lytle lose, but the fight was so entertaining that it was definitely a major highlight of the entire show.

2. Dennis Siver upsetting George Sotiropoulos.

It always seems like a cliché, like a relatively weak counter-point, whenever someone says “every fight starts standing”. But sometimes that saying isn’t such a cliché… sometimes it’s a hard lesson that a ground specialist has to learn before taking the next big step up the rankings. And that lesson was recently taught to Sotiropoulos when Dennis Siver thoroughly controlled him and nearly finished him. Siver cynics may call him one-dimensional, but his ability to keep his fight with Sotiropoulos in that dimension exclusively should be praised, alongside Siver’s impressive level of striking. Seeing Siver outright dominate Sotiropoulos was easily one of the most shocking and most interesting moments of the night.

And my personal top moment of UFC 127 “Penn vs. Fitch” is…

1. Jon Fitch’s performance during the final round of his fight with BJ Penn.

This was the round where Jon Fitch left nothing to speculation, this was the round that made it very clear why Jon Fitch has only ever lost one time in the UFC. If Jon Fitch had fought this way for the entire fight, there’d have been no question as to who won it. In the third and final round, Fitch found a way to implement his famous style of grinding down an opponent with constant offense and smothering. Penn had nothing for Fitch in this third round, and it was this third round in particular that has led many to already cry foul at this fight being ruled a draw. This was the Jon Fitch that all Jon Fitch fans know and love, and even though we only saw him for one round, that round was definitely the highlight of the night for me.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What were your favorite moments from UFC 127: “Penn vs. Fitch”?

Next for Chris Lytle: As much as I wish I didn’t have to say this, it’s back to the drawing board for “Lights Out”. This was simply a must-win situation that Chris Lytle didn’t win. Lytle gutted his way through a very tough, close fight that earned him yet another post-fight bonus, so I think we’ll see Lytle back on UFC Pay-Per-Views before long. In the here and now, however, I think the UFC will put Lytle into the role of a gatekeeper for his next fight.

Next for Brian Ebersole: It all depends on how active Ebersole wants to be as a UFC fighter this late into his career. If Ebersole wants big fights, I think the UFC will give them to him at least once. I can see him facing someone like Paulo Thiago, or the loser of the upcoming Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez fight, or even Josh Koscheck whenever he returns. Ebersole made a serious impact at UFC 127, so I think the UFC will throw him right back into the shark tank for his next fight.

Next for George Sotiropoulos: My feelings on “G-Sot” closely mirror my feelings on Chris Lytle: it’s time to retool and refocus. I think announcer Joe Rogan said it perfectly: George needs to learn the “American wrestling” style of shooting for takedowns in order to fully implement his ground game. But he also needs to keep developing his striking, the fight with Siver proved that George’s stand-up still has plenty of room to grow. We can expect to see Sotiropoulos on a “Fight Night Live” card in the near future, and I think we’ll probably see the best Sotiropoulos yet when he does make his comeback. There’s still plenty of time left to realize his potential, and I think this loss was an important learning experience for him.

Next for Dennis Siver: Probably the loser of Guida/Pettis or Edgar/Maynard 3, that or another high-level Lightweight star. Now that BJ Penn and Kenny Florian have left the division, the UFC could use another good striker with real finishing power. Plus, Siver’s takedown defense looks excellent, so he should be a worthy challenge to the other ground wizards at 155. We can expect to see Siver right back on a UFC Pay-Per-View and challenging one of the UFC’s best for his next fight.

Next for Jon Fitch/BJ Penn: Each other, which is why I’m grouping them together. This is one of the few occasions where I believe that an immediate rematch is absolutely called for. As much as I think Jon Fitch beat BJ Penn, I want this rematch so Fitch can leave nothing to speculation. I don’t want this fight to hover over his head, I don’t want all these unanswered questions to remain unanswered. For better or worse, I say we do this again.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? What do you see happening in the near and not-so-near future of the big winners and losers of UFC 127 “Penn vs. Fitch”?

Jon Fitch and BJ Penn fight to a Majority Draw. Michael Bisping defeats Jorge Rivera by TKO (Strikes) at 1:54 of Round 2. Dennis Siver defeats George Sotiropoulos by Unanimous Decision. Brian Ebersole defeats Chris Lytle by Unanimous Decision. Kyle Noke defeats Chris Camozzi by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:35 of Round 1. Ross Pearson defeats Spencer Fisher by Unanimous Decision. Alexander Gustafsson defeats James Te Huna by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:27 of Round 1. Nick Ring defeats Riki Fukuda by Unanimous Decision. Anthony Perosh defeats Tom Blackledge by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:45 of Round 1. Tiequan Zhang defeats Jason Reinhardt by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:48 of Round 1. Mark Hunt defeats Chris Tuchscherer by KO (Punch) at 1:41 of Round 2. Curt Warburton defeats Maciej Jewtuszko by Unanimous Decision.

The “UFC Prelims Live” specials continue not to disappoint, and I’m very glad that I watched both the Facebook stream and the ION TV broadcast. However, I absolutely believe that Riki Fukuda was robbed of a victory against Nick Ring.

It really, really saddened me to see Chris Lytle lose again. I honestly don’t know how many times he can keep starting over, and I just don’t know if he’ll ever get to this point again. Brian Ebersole put on a fantastic performance, though, so at least Lytle didn’t lose a boring fight. Lytle went out on his shield, and I definitely commend him for it. But still… there are a lot of questions now surrounding the future for Chris Lytle.

With this win, I think we’ve seen the full ascension of Dennis Siver. Siver looked awesome in this fight, with great striking and awesome takedown defense. I’m a bit sad that Sotiropoulos wasn’t able to continue his hotstreak, but I think this win solidified Siver as a top-division fighter. I look forward to seeing what he does with this massive win.

I really enjoyed the Bisping/Rivera fight, and I think it lived up to most of its potential. But I absolutely believe that Bisping intentionally threw an illegal knee in order to get some revenge on Rivera, and I honestly don’t know how to feel about that right now. I suppose I’ll have to wait until Rivera shares his side of the story, and his reaction to the illegal knee. Right now though, I’m mostly happy that Bisping scored a dominating win, even though I think the beginning of the end started with an illegal strike.

In all honesty, BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch was one of those fights where I didn’t want to see either man lose. I’ve been a fan of both fighters for quite some time now, and I think both men fought a very hard, very competitive fight. But I honestly think Jon Fitch deserved to win. BJ Penn performed admirably, but my gut reaction is that Fitch won this fight. But there can now be no doubt: this fight needs a rematch.

Overall, I really enjoyed UFC 126. It had a little something for everybody, and now more and more I’m noticing a trend in UFC and MMA shows in general as we head ever-deeper into 2011: a lot of my favorite fighters are losing, but the shows that they’re losing on are just so good that I can’t stay upset for long. This was another very, very solid UFC event, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

And that’s that, fans and friends! But what about you? What did you think of UFC 127 “Penn vs. Fitch”?

Chris Lytle will probably end up facing Carlos Condit.

I think this is a fight that simply has to happen, and I think it’s a fight that will eventually happen. It’s two tough veterans with immense power in their hands facing each other to determine which one really does have it in him to be a possible championship contender. If Lytle wins this bout with Ebersole, I think he’ll end up facing his original UFC 127 opponent sooner rather than later.

If this fight with Ebersole is boring, expect at least one or two “gatekeeper” fights.

Chris Lytle rarely has a boring fight, but let’s be honest: sometimes he does. If Lytle coasts to a decision, if Lytle grinds out a victory in order to keep his win-streak intact, look for the UFC to give some up-and-coming 170-pound talent a shot at top-division status by taking on “Lights Out”. Lytle could pursue this option, he could very well choose to play it safe in order to not risk Ebersole catching and upsetting him, but if he does, the UFC won’t be happy about it and it’ll take a few more fights before he gets another shot at a top-ranked opponent.

If Lytle wins a hard-fought bout, expect him to get a crack at a Top 10 welterweight.

If this fight with Ebersole ends up being a close, exciting encounter that Lytle ends up winning, then the UFC will definitely give Lytle a shot at a Top 10 opponent. A win is a win, but consistently entertaining the fans is one of the main reasons why Lytle has been able to stay on the UFC’s radar and a gainfully-employed fighter for so long. Even if Ebersole comes close to beating him, if this turns into a war of attrition that Lytle ends up winning, the UFC will be more than happy to give Lytle a serious challenger and a top-ranked opponent.

If Lytle wins spectacularly, he could end up replacing BJ Penn or Jon Fitch if either one wins and gets injured.

The UFC is a strange place. There’s no real governing body, so things can change on a whim. Currently, the next challenger for the UFC Welterweight Championship is expected to be the winner of UFC 127’s headlining attraction, either BJ Penn or Jon Fitch. But anything can happen in MMA, and if Lytle wins his fight in dominating fashion, he could become the next challenger to the UFC Welterweight Championship if the winner of Penn/Fitch is forced to sit on the sidelines with an injury.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What do you see happening to Chris “Lights Out” Lytle if he wins his upcoming fight against Brian Ebersole?

5. Lytle knows he can’t keep starting over.

Even “Lights Out” himself has been open and honest regarding his future in the UFC. In short: this may be the last shot at championship relevancy he’ll ever get. This knowledge has led to Lytle being hungrier, more explosive, and more entertaining than ever before. Lytle is making the most out of this opportunity, and an incredibly motivated Chris Lytle is an incredibly dangerous Chris Lytle.

4. Lytle is on the best win-streak of his UFC career.

Lytle has rattled off four straight wins, with two great submission victories and two Unanimous Decision victories. Of those four wins, two have earned him “Of The Night” performance, and realistically, that number should be three: at UFC 116, the “Submission of the Night” award was given to Brock Lesnar despite the fact that many felt Lytle’s submission was better. And to top it all off, Lytle most recently defeated former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra. Lytle is at the best he’s ever been, and that’s why a lot of people are favoring him to win this match.

3. Chris Lytle’s striking has never looked better.

In the Matt Serra fight in particular, Chris Lytle displayed a wide range of fantastic strikes, basically overwhelming the man who scored the biggest upset in MMA history due to his striking. Lytle’s impressive footwork and wide range of punches has helped him win many fights in the past, and there’s a reason why he’s earned “Lights Out” as his nickname. Lytle’s striking has always been one of the deadliest weapons in his arsenal, and if his recent fights are any indication, it’s only getting deadlier.

2. Chris Lytle’s ground game is very impressive.

If Lytle’s striking is one of his deadliest weapons, his ground game is his secret weapon. For some reason, people just keep forgetting that you shouldn’t take Chris Lytle to the ground, because far more often than not, you lose. Consider this fact: Lytle has never been submitted. Not once, not in over fifty fights as a professional fighter, not in over ten years of active competition. He’s also won a majority of his fights by submission. If it goes to the ground, Lytle could definitely snatch up another great submission win.

And the number-one reason Chris Lytle could beat Brian Ebersole is…

1. This is Ebersole’s UFC debut.

Ebersole has been competing for over ten years… but he’s never once stepped into the Octagon. For Chris Lytle, this upcoming fight will mark the nineteenth time Lytle has competed under the UFC banner. Both men have a mountain of experience going into this bout, but there’s simply no substitute for actual Octagon experience. Lytle’s many years of fighting some of the UFC’s best is definitely the biggest reason why he could beat Brian Ebersole.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. One more time: Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole. Who’ve you got and why?

5. The element of surprise.

Most high-level fighters are able to make the necessary adjustments when their scheduled opponent is forced to suddenly pull out of their bout, but some have honestly struggled with this in the past. Chris Lytle trained for Carlos Condit, and Carlos Condit is a very different fighter than Brian Ebersole. There’s also always the chance that Lytle could take Ebersole lightly.

4. Ebersole has the cardio to remain a threat to Lytle throughout all three rounds.

Although Ebersole has been to a decision eighteen times throughout his professional career, he’s won far more than he’s lost: thirteen victories compared to five defeats. Chris Lytle can’t say the same: he’s been to a decision twenty-one times in his career and only won six of those bouts. To put it into perspective: Brian Ebersole has nearly three times as many wins by decision as he does losses, while Chris Lytle has almost three times as many losses by decision as he does wins. If this fight goes all three rounds, Ebersole may be able to stop Lytle’s comeback dead in its tracks.

3. Ebersole can knock people out.

Aside from his many decision victories, Ebersole has thirteen (T)KO victories to his credit. In fact, the latest win in his impressive win-streak came by first-round KO. Even more, three of his last seven fights have ended with Ebersole’s opponent on the wrong end of a (T)KO. Chris Lytle may have the advantage in terms of pure striking, but Ebersole should be able to stand with him and dish out some heavy punishment.

2. Ebersole has plenty of submission wins.

Lytle fans, including myself, always talk about how you can’t sleep on Lytle’s ground game, and while that’s true, you also shouldn’t sleep on Brian Ebersole’s ground game. Ebersole has twenty submission wins to his credit, dating back to the start of his career, where he rattled off three straight submission victories after losing his pro MMA debut. Brian Ebersole actually has more submission wins on his record than Chris Lytle. If it does go to the ground, Ebersole could surprise a whole lot of people.

And the number one reason Brian Ebersole could beast Chris Lytle is…

1. Ebersole is on a seven-fight win-streak.

It really doesn’t get much better than that. The last time Brian Ebersole lost was on September 12, 2008. Of the seven fights he’s won since then, he was able to finish five of them. Despite being a ten-year veteran of the sport, Ebersole has kept a remarkably active and remarkably dominant schedule. Ebersole is ready for the UFC, and it’s that readiness and confidence that will be his deadliest weapon against the super-tough Chris Lytle.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? Do you see Brian Ebersole beating Chris Lytle? And if so, how and why?