UFC Event

UFC 149 Results Recap: James Head Vs. Brian Ebersole

By Tim Burke@TB_Money Jul 23, 2012, 1:00am EDT

Jul 21, 2012; Calgary, AB, CANADA; James Head (blue gloves) and Brian Ebersole (red gloves) during the welterweight bout of UFC 149 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-US PRESSWIRE

In the second bout of the UFC 149 main card, James Head used terrific takedown defense and some timely striking to pick up a close split decision win over Brian Ebersole in their Welterweight bout. Ebersole looked a lot smaller than usual, and was unable to get the fight to the floor for any length of time. He seemed to sit back too long and wasn't aggressive enough, and it cost him the fight. The scores were 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28.

It was a close matchup, hence the split-decision. But in my eyes Head clearly took two of the rounds with effective striking and keeping Ebersole off of him. Ebersole went 1 for 15 on takedown attempts in the bout. Head is now 2-0 at welterweight, while Ebersole suffered his first loss in the UFC.

What was the high spot of this fight?

Nothing special happened in the fight, other than Ebersole occasionally throwing punches from his knees. The funniest part was Ebersole's corner imploring him to "stay awkwahd!" in between rounds.

Where do these guys go from here?

This was clearly the biggest win of Head's short career, but it might not be viewed as such an accomplishment due to the lack of excitement in the bout. A bout with Matt Riddle would make some sense, but there are a lot of welterweights that are in a similar position to Head that could be good potential matchups.

Ebersole's almost assuredly going to lightweight. He talked about it before the bout, and looked like he was already in the process of transforming his body for the eventual cut. This loss won't really hurt him much in his new division.

Watch it now, later, or never?

Never. While it was better than Kongo vs. Jordan, it was still pretty dull. You can definitely give this a pass.

SBN coverage of UFC 149

More Bloody Elbow coverage of UFC 149 in the full entry.

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UFC 149 Results: Winners And Losers

UFC 149 Results: Cheick Kongo Bores Fans But Wins Decision Over Shawn Jordan

UFC 149 Results: James Head Wins Split Decision Over Brian Ebersole

UFC 149 Results: Matt Riddle Submits Chris Clements Late

UFC 149 Results: Nick Ring Fades Late, Holds On For Decision Win Over Court McGee