Don’t convince yourself that Brian Ebersole is the man to derail the momentum train of Rory MacDonald after Ebersole has his UFC 140 bout with Claude “The Prince” Patrick—MacDonald’s replacement—if Ebersole wins on Dec. 10.
But even a person whose first glimpse of Ebersole came with his UFC 133 win over Dennis Hallman could tell you that Ebersole is a slept-on Welterweight as far as UFC-only fighters go.
Seriously, we all knew the man had some experience and an unorthodox style, but beating Chris Lytle? That just seemed a bit far-fetched, but it happened at UFC 127 earlier this year.
Of course, we also know the story behind his claiming of the “Get Those Horrifying Shorts Off TV As Soon As Possible” bonus when he beat a Speedos-clad Hallman, who probably wishes his bet’s wager saw the loser buying the winner a drink or a carton of smokes.
Anyway, Ebersole is facing another Canadian in Patrick—but to be correct, Patrick is a Toronto-born fighter of Jamaican descent, and he has said before that he prides himself on being “premier Jamaican fighter of mixed martial arts”—and not unlike MacDonald, “The Prince” has only lost one fight in his MMA career.
Truth be told, neither man should be slept on, especially since Ebersole is on Patrick’s turf, and Patrick will look to hit that infamous 13th win in his MMA tenure, but only one man has finished Ebersole in the past two years, and everyone else has had a hard time getting the finish on Ebersole since then.
Patrick is a solid technical striker with a menacing submission game, but Ebersole blends in a good wrestling game with a striking game that features punches and kicks that no other fighter has been able to incorporate into their game as well as Ebersole has.
With how well he has improved so far in his career, fans and pundits alike might do well to keep one close eye on Ebersole. He has the necessary elements to go from a rising UFC Welterweight to the next possible dark horse in the division.
In essence, he could be a potential contender, and he would definitely be the contender that nobody saw coming.
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