Jake Ellenberger vs. Mike Pyle at UFC 108

by Scott Haber on Oct 21, 2009 5:36 PM EDT Comment 8 comments

Veteran welterweights Jake Ellenberger (21-5, 0-1 UFC) and Mike Pyle (19-6, 1-1 UFC) will collide at UFC 108 in Las Vegas on January 2nd, according to report from MMA Junkie:

Sources close to both competitors told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) verbal agreements are in place and bout agreements will be signed shortly.

Ellenberger debuted in dramatic fashion at UFN 19 in September against Carlos Condit, waging a three round war with the "Natural Born Killer" and nearly turn out his lights on several occasions with thunderous punching power. Condit won a razor-thing split decision, but many disagreed with the result and felt that Ellenberger's knockdowns and defense grappling should have won him the fight. The MidAmerica Martial Arts wrestling standout will now get a chance to redeem himself in January and can reinforce his already solid record and perhaps secure a more permanent spot in the UFC with a definitive victory.

"Quicksand" Pyle is a long-time BJJ instructor at Xtreme Couture, and a well-traveled veteran of the minor league MMA scene. After falling short in his UFC debut to Brock Larson (although he did take the fight on only a few days notice), Pyle rebounded and submitted Chris Wilson in the third round at UFN 19. The lanky grappling specialist will surely have to be on the lookout for Ellenberger's heavy hands, while also being mindful of strategies for sneaking through the excellent submission defense that his upcoming opponent employed against Condit.

While still not officially announced, the card for UFC 108 now includes:

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Junior Dos Santos

Carlos Condit vs. Paul Daley

Tyson Griffin vs. Jim Miller

Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout

Dan Lauzon vs. Cole Miller

Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen

Mike Pyle vs. Jake Ellenberger

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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Comments

It will be interesting if Ellenberger still comes to bring hell when he is expected to be very competitive/win. I’m not sure if the fury he turned in was a sign of things to come or rather him trying to prove himself against one of the better 170 lbers in the world.

This shirt is "dry clean only", which means it's dirty.

by SamCupitt on Oct 22, 2009 7:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If he fights the same fight he is going to KTFO Pyle, that’s for sure.

by oasis77 on Oct 22, 2009 8:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I feel the same way about Pyle as I do about Denis Kang.

Never bet on them, ever.

This shirt is "dry clean only", which means it's dirty.

by SamCupitt on Oct 22, 2009 8:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

this should be a fun one

both of these guys have real potential to become Marcus Davis level mainstays/gatekeepers in the UFC ww division, but the loser will likely be on his way out.

Follow me on Twitter @KidNate

by Kid Nate on Oct 22, 2009 10:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You think so? Already?

...Behold, a pale horse. The man that sat upon it was Wieters, and hell followed with him.

"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard

by Brett Jones on Oct 22, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was very impressed by Ellenberger

That dude looked tough as nails.

by WestbergIDFC on Oct 22, 2009 2:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Jake Ellenberger

If you’ve never seen Rick Story v. Jake Ellenberger, well, don’t watch it. It’s not a great fight.

But, it ended with a bit of controversy. The fight took place on one of Matt Lindland’s Sport Fight cards. It was the main event for the Sport Fight Welterweight title, held then by Jake Ellenberger, who astute fans recognized from the IFL.

So, the fight takes place and Jake Ellenberger does about nothing. Rick Story didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but he actually attempted to engage Ellenberger and was clearly the victor. At the end of round five, however, Story as goading Ellenberger to engage, but Ellenberger instead preferred to call Story a coward and, if I recall correctly, flip Story off.

At the conclusion of the fight, I believe Ellenberger needed to be restrained by his corner, as he was trying to attack Story after the bell. Ironic, considering he had ignored the opportunity to do so for the previous 25 minutes.

Anyway, there is bad blood there, and from what I’ve seen of both guys since their fight, Ellenberger appears to be more than ready for a rematch. The fight offers no intrigue to the audience at large, but really, does any Rick Story or Jake Ellenberger fight intrigue the audience at large? I’m all for these two getting together and settling their differences, and I suspect it would be a much more entertaining fight the second time around.

...Behold, a pale horse. The man that sat upon it was Wieters, and hell followed with him.

"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard

by Brett Jones on Oct 22, 2009 4:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I would assume that Joe Silva would look at the potential payoff of a decent grudge match to line a main card vs. another potential stinker to kick off a card. And yeah with another couple of wins, the former should outway the latter but right now they are too small of a fish…es…fish

This shirt is "dry clean only", which means it's dirty.

by SamCupitt on Oct 22, 2009 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs