Watch Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole on UFC Fight Pass
We’ve discussed the many twists and turns of UFC 133’s main event at length in a separate flashback, and yet somehow the struggle to find Rashad Evans an opponent wasn’t even the strangest thing about that July 2011 event.
Sandwiched in the middle of the show’s five-fight main card was a bout between longtime mixed martial arts veterans Dennis Hallman and Brian Ebersole.
And when we say veterans, we’re not understating here.
Veterans Of The Fight Game
Dennis “Superman” Hallman came into the contest with a record of 50-13-2 (1). He first fought in the UFC all the way back at UFC 29 in the year 2000, where he submitted legendary welterweight Matt Hughes in just 20 seconds (the second time Hallman caught Hughes with a submission, having tapped the wrestler in just 17 seconds two years earlier). But he never managed to stick with the organization, picking up losses at UFC 33 in 2001, UFC 48 in 2004 and UFC 55 in 2005.
Despite those setbacks, Hallman made his way back to the organization in 2009 at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale, only to suffer another defeat. Not to be discouraged, “Superman” picked up wins over Ben Saunders and Karo Parisyan in 2010.
Dennis Hallman submitting Matt Hughes twice in a total of 37 seconds🤯 pic.twitter.com/caWCNJKo9m
— MMA News Today (@MMANewsToday_) November 27, 2023
Brian “Bad Boy” Ebersole, on the other hand, was a relative newcomer to the UFC after a lengthy career on the independent circuit . There, he compiled a 46-14-1 (1) before finally making his debut at UFC 127 in 2011— a Fight of the Night victory over the always-game Chris “Lights Out” Lytle.
The middle of the card seemed like the perfect spot for two veteran action fighters to throw down.
Back then, the UFC didn’t have an agreement with Venum (or Reebok, for that matter). Fight kits were colourful, varied wildly from fighter to fighter and were plastered in sponsors.
And that’s where things started getting weird.
Origins Of The Chest Hairrow
With a crowd-pleasing performance against fan-favourite Lytle at UFC 127, what stood out the most was afterwards was the upward arrow Ebersole shaved into his chest, something MMA Fighting called the “Strangest Sight of UFC 127.”
In an interview with a young Ariel Helwani, “Bad Boy” explained the origins of the chest hairrow.
“About two, maybe three years ago I fought a kickboxer. He was coming from Phuket, Thailand via South Africa and I saw him wrestle on YouTube as a blue belt in a tournament,” Ebersole told Helwani. “I just shook my head and said ‘ah, he’s gonna be in for a rough one.’ So the pre-fight thing kind of came up with the arrow, and I left a little goatee as a marker for him saying ‘you have to hit me in the chin to beat me because you have no hope on the ground.'”
Origins Of The Banana Hammock
While Ebersole’s chest hair would normally have been the most puzzling visual in a UFC bout, Hallman managed to one-up his opponent with his infamous choice of fight shorts.
Sporting a tiny blue speedo, “Superman” explained his decision after the match. We turn again to MMA Fighting, where Hallman told the outlet that he wore the revealing attire was because he lost a bet with his teammates.
“I thought it was funny. I thought it was embarrassing for me. Obviously, that’s why I had to do it. But I didn’t think anybody would be cross about it,” Hallman said.
10 years ago today, Dennis Hallman fought in these shorts at UFC 133. pic.twitter.com/yIitlMEEX8
— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) August 6, 2021
Practically begging for a wardrobe malfunction, the grappling heavy fighter had his goods spill out of the banana hammock, something that was documented by ancient meme site Ebaumsworld.
“People are sick, disgusting perverts,” Hallman told MMA Junkie, per Larry Brown Sports. “They’ll break the film down frame-by-frame so they can get a little ball action. That’s kind of strange. They have problems.”
The Battle Of The Bizarre
And so, under these circumstances the battle of the bizarre would get underway. In the pre-fight hype, Hallman promised to deploy his grappling to achieve victory. Ebersole, on the other hand, was honest in assessing his skills, noting he likely lacked the ability to find a submission from the bottom but could deliver some nasty ground and pound from top position.
“I’m gonna bring the striking game, I’m gonna try to take the centre of the Octagon. Hallman’s gonna try to wrestle, I should be able to shut that down and I should finish this fight with strikes,” Ebersole declared.
As Ebersole prepared to enter the cage, UFC commentator Joe Rogan shared a rumour he’d heard:
I heard that his girlfriend held him down and shaved off that hairrow — that arrow of hair on his chest — but I guess he was able to grow it back. Congratulations, Mr. Ebersole.
Next up, Hallman. As he made his walk and removed his pre-fight clothing, and while the commentary team was hyping up his lengthy career and impressive record, he revealed the banana hammock.
“And what an unfortunate choice of shorts,” Rogan quipped. “I guess he’s actually gonna fight like that.” Added play-by-play man Mike Goldberg, “We’ve seen it all — bad chest hair, worse shorts.”
“Those shorts make Georges St-Pierre’s shorts look like capri jeans,” Goldberg continued as Hallman plucked a wedgie in the cage.
Classic Rogan/Goldberg commentary when Dennis Hallman debuted the infamous banana hammock at UFC 133.
Rogan: That just doesn't look right…
Goldberg: Those shorts make Georges St-Pierre's shorts look like capri jeans. pic.twitter.com/i6lkPd2vsq
— MMA News Today (@MMANewsToday_) November 27, 2023
With the jokes set aside, the bout got underway. Hallman quickly imposed his wrestling, taking Ebersole’s back less than 20 seconds into the fight. About halfway through the round, however, Ebersole managed to reverse the position, survived a guillotine choke attempt and began delivering hard ground and pound.
A barrage of punches, hammerfists and elbows saw Ebersole force referee Kevin Mulhall to step in with just over 30 seconds left in the first round, finishing the fight with a TKO victory just as he’d predicted.
Dana White’s Wrath
But the story of this fight didn’t end in the cage. After the event, UFC president Dana White was asked about Hallman’s unique choice of attire.
The boss was unimpressed.
“I’m seriously pissed off at the guys who work us who let him walk out with those things on,” White said, as MMA Junkie reported. “I’ve never been so embarrassed being in the UFC.”
Dana White telling Karyn Bryant he gave Brian Ebersole the $70K bonus for getting Dennis Hallman's banana hammock off the screen as fast as possible.
"You don't wanna be remembered for that…making people watch 5 minutes of that." pic.twitter.com/6d0oV3VSG4
— MMA News Today (@MMANewsToday_) November 27, 2023
Referring to the predictable wardrobe malfunction, “I thought we had some common sense, at least a little common sense,” White told reporters. “That was a really bad moment. I was horrified.”
Back in this era, the UFC handed out post-fight bonuses for Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night.
With no submission on the 11-fight UFC 133 card, White instead awarded the bonus to Ebersole, who collected an additional $70,000 for the “thanks-for-getting-those-horrifying-shorts-off-TV-as-soon-as-possible” bonus, Junkie noted.