Monday Morning Reverie: Reality

I hoped to stay as far away from the soon-to-be battered around cliché of "Evans and Bisping: Reality Check" but I couldn't resist.

Come on, Saturday's fight marked the first time two winners from "The Ultimate Fighter" met in the Octagon, and when it was all said and done there was quite a reality check.

Followers of mixed martial arts should have come to the conclusion that both Rashad Evans (Pictures) and Michael Bisping (Pictures) are very good fighters. Regardless of what some old-school hardcore fans will tell you, the SpikeTV reality series has churned out not only world-class fighters but also some terrific bouts.

Evans and Bisping fought a three-round affair all the way down to the wire and the outcome was clearly in doubt from the time the final horn sounded until Bruce Buffer announced Evans as the split-decision winner.

The tussle between the two TV stars was about as competitive and close as they come and though the fight wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as some of the more recent wars, it was much better than what I expected to see.

Both Bisping and Evans answered questions about their skills and where they stand alongside the best in the world. For two men maligned for seizing the opportunity to boost their careers by participating on a vastly popular TV show, they didn't do half bad.

Evans, for the most part, proved that his stamina was not going to fail him in the three rounder. He also showed he could stand and trade with someone who has much better technique on the feet and that his wrestling ability ranks in the upper echelon among MMA fighters.

Bisping, meanwhile, showcased that he can scramble to safety from takedowns, defend himself properly while on his back and that he tries to win his fights rather than trying not to lose.

Both fighters also displayed enough fortitude to bounce back from sub-par performances in their previous outings to silence many of the critics.

More important, though, is that both Evans' and Bisping's performances conjured up even more questions.

For Evans, it's still a mystery if he'll survive a five-round title fight. Moreover, how will the Greg Jackson-trained fighter react once he is caught will some genuine hellfire from one of the world's fiercest strikers? How will Evans be able to muster a victory provided he is matched up against a man with better wrestling ability? And, most importantly, it's still reasonable to doubt whether Evans will be able to perform at his best once he faces his first elite level fighter (his showdown with Tito Ortiz (Pictures) was all but scintillating).

As for Bisping, questions abound whether he is well versed enough to beat better fighters. I thought he lost soundly to Matt Hamill (Pictures) and he didn't do enough to defeat Evans. Like Rashad, I want to see Bisping's chin tested and I want to see him fight someone with world-class submission skills. I also question whether he, like many a contender before him, will crumble under the pressure of a UFC title fight.

While it's grand to have many or even most pre-fight questions be answered once the final bell sounds, in reality it's more fun debating and trying to figure out just how good a fighter is. My statement is simple: Evans and Bisping are very good fighters but they both need more time against top talent in order for anyone to gauge whether they are extraordinary or just plain ordinary.

You knew it wasn't going to last

Houston Alexander (Pictures) was not exposed as some sort of power punching fraud like a frightening amount of fans proclaimed in my inbox on Sunday. Yes, I picked Alexander to get knocked out by Thiago Silva (Pictures) but that doesn't mean I felt Houston was a chump in fighter's trunks.

All the fight proved was that the Nebraskan light heavyweight needs more time in the gym to focus on his weaknesses. He's still a prospect in MMA and for anybody to have labeled him as the next great champion based solely on two early knockouts would have been foolhardy. Any time some unknown fighter comes along and obliterates a solid pro like Keith Jardine (Pictures) and then scores another impressive knockout in his next fight, it's just a matter of time before he fights someone who knows his style and avoids the early bombardment.

Silva avoided Alexander's initial bombs and soon was on top. Seconds later, the fight was stopped. Alexander has enough firepower in his fists to knock anybody out. His relative inexperience in MMA was brought out against Silva and if the single father of six is to make a drive towards a world title, he clearly needs to focus on what he does poorly.

The fight went almost exactly how I expected it to and the amount of people already hating on Alexander is predictable as well. Instead of pouring salt in Houston's wounds, why don't we just accept the fact that he's still green and that Silva is the young light heavyweight we need to watch?

Silva still hasn't toppled an upper echelon fighter just yet, but it's clear that he has the talent to do so. He's a better all-around fighter than Alexander and his ceiling is much higher. I'm still not totally sold on Silva, by the way, as I'd like to see him fight someone on the level of a "Babalu" before I jump to any conclusions.

As far as Alexander goes, does this mean that his career is in peril? Of course not. That said, he needs more work than Silva and if he keeps fighting opponents who can weather the storms, he'll have a much tougher road ahead of him. The good thing is that it's not too late to tweak his style.

Misc. debris

Now that Alistair Overeem (Pictures) scored an impressive TKO over former UFC heavyweight title challenger Paul Buentello (Pictures), does that mean that the Dutchman kept his career in check? Of course it does. After dropping five out of his last seven matches, his win over Buentello allowed him to move off the respirator and into his own bed. Hopefully, because he's fun to watch, Overeem can build off this win. …

So the main event of UFC 82 will be Anderson Silva defending his UFC middleweight crown against Dan Henderson (Pictures), a man who owns two belts from PRIDE. Though those belts don't really mean too much these days thanks to PRIDE pushing up a bundle of daisies, this is one fight that I've been waiting for what seems like an eon. For those of you of Generation TUF who only saw Hendo for the first time when he battled Quinton Jackson (Pictures) and lost, don't be surprised when he snatches the title away from "Spider." …

Ed Herman (Pictures) is a fighter I've been on the fence with for a while now. He was never really that exciting and he hadn't quite toppled an opponent in the standard "next big step" sort of way. It took him over six months to land his first official win within the UFC once he made his debut and while he has looked good recently, the jury was still out. After watching Herman pick apart the always game and durable Joe Doerksen (Pictures), it's safe to say "Short Fuse" finally took that next big step. Doerksen is no slouch and the only other man to stop him via KO or TKO was Paulo Filho (Pictures). That's good company to be in. …

I think it's time we all start paying some attention to one of the most promising fighters on the horizon: Frank Edgar (Pictures). I thought his win over previously undefeated Tyson Griffin was more or less just a bad night for Tyson, but after watching Edgar dominate Mark Bocek (Pictures) and now thoroughly thrash Spencer Fisher (Pictures) via unanimous decision, it's safe to say that this kid from New Joisey is for real. I still think Fisher has enough talent to legitimately challenge for a world title (if not actually win one) and Edgar made it look easy. The lightweights had better start studying film on this guy. …

I was in Toys ‘R' Us the other day doing some Christmas shopping. When I entered the action figure aisle I came across these surprisingly good-looking WWE wrestler figures and ring. My cousin and I used to spend hours playing with those old school WWF figures back in the ‘80s and it made me wonder: When will the kids of America be able to buy their own Octagons and official UFC fighter action figures? …

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