UFC 78: Validation was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), that took place on November 17, 2007 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.Validation was the first UFC event held in New Jersey since June 4, 2005's UFC 53: Heavy Hitters in Atlantic City.

The main event featured Rashad Evans against The Ultimate Fighter 3 light heavyweight winner Michael Bisping in a light heavyweight contest. This was Bisping's last fight before dropping to Middleweight. Originally, Evans and Bisping were set to rematch their previous opponents Tito Ortiz and Matt Hamill at this event after their bouts ended in a draw and a controversial split decision at UFC 73 and UFC 75. However, Ortiz's commitments to filming Celebrity Apprentice forced his fight with Evans to be cancelled and an injury to Hamill forced him to withdraw from his fight with Bisping.

Additionally, PRIDE veterans Ryo Chonan and Akihiro Gono both made their UFC debuts. Both fighters fought at 183 pounds in Japan, but with the UFC's inclusion of the 170 pound division each fighter moved down to fight at welterweight. PRIDE veteran and Cuban judoka Hector Lombard was also scheduled to debut on the event but did not participate due to visa issues. Lombard ended up signing after UFC 145. Karo Parisyan instead faced Ryo Chonan, and Thiago Alves fought Chris Lytle.

Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist from Niagara Falls, New York, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Evans won the heavyweight division of The Ultimate Fighter 2. Evans lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to then undefeated Lyoto Machida at UFC 98. As of November 2011, Evans is currently ranked as the #3 Light Heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog and Yahoo! Sports.

Wrestling out of Niagra Wheatfield High School, Evans twice made it to the state finals tournament of New York by winning his weight class for his county, in which he received All-State honors both times. In 1997 he placed 4th in the state at 145 pounds. In 1998 he placed 4th in the state at 171 pounds. In 1999 he entered the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships for the 165 pound weight class in which he finished in 4th place. Competing once again at this tournament in 2000, he was the champion of the 165 pound weight class.

Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (born 28 February 1979) is an English mixed martial artist. He fights in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship Light Heavyweight Champion, former Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter 3 Light Heavyweight Tournament winner. As of March 2012, Bisping is ranked the No. 4 middleweight in the world by Sherdog.

Bisping was born in manchester UK in 1979, but moved to Bridlington, East Yorkshire, England when he was a child. Taking an early interest in martial arts, Bisping began training in a traditional form of jiu-jitsu known as Yawara Ryu under Paul Lloyd Davies when he was 8 years old. In 1994, at the age of 15, Bisping competed as an amateur in England's first "no holds barred" competition, a precursor to modern MMA, called Knock Down Sport Budo (KSBO), organised by Davies.

At the age of 18, Bisping decided to abandon his martial arts training in order "to pursue real life". But less than a year later Bisping began training kickboxing and karate on the advice of Alan Clarking, owner of Black Knights gym, who saw potential in the young fighter. Bisping enjoyed a short, but successful kickboxing career, winning the North West Area title and later the Pro British light heavyweight kickboxing title. After again briefly quitting competition in 1998, Bisping returned to kickboxing to take the Pro British light heavyweight title for a second time. Soon after winning his second kickboxing title, Bisping was forced to abandon his full-time training for a "real job". Bisping worked in factories, slaughterhouses, as an upholsterer, a postman, a tiler, a plasterer, a double-glazing door salesman,production line operative making barbecues at Rectella in Clitheroe and also a relatively successful DJ around the north-west club scene.

Edith Labelle is a French Canadian model and actress who is best known as a favourite UFC Ring Card Girl.

Edith has been modeling since 2002 for various fashion houses and designers throughout Quebec. Early on in her career, Edith was approached by the now defunct TKO Major League MMA, a MMA organisation based out of Montréal, Quebec, Canada, to be a ring-card girl. With the growing sport and eager to perform on a bigger stage, Edith applied to the UFC as a ring-card girl becoming the first Canadian woman to have the title. She made her first appearance in the now internationally recognized octagon in November 2007. Through her association with the UFC, Edith has appeared as a gaming character in the video game "UFC 2009 Undisputed".

At 5’8’, 117 lbs and measuring a curvaceous 34-24-34, Edith was quickly noticed for her sultry work in print modeling. Sought after by major magazines such as Men’s Fitness, Grappling Magazine and Fight Magazine, as well as being a model and spokesperson for health and other dietary supplements, Edith has a become a favourite "pin-up girl" for fitness enthusiasts and fans of combat sports everywhere.

Karapet "Karo" Parisyan (Armenian: Կարո Փարիզյան; born August 28, 1982) is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist. From his days as a UFC mainstay, Karo holds notable wins over Ryo Chonan, Shonie Carter, Drew Fickett, Matt Serra, Nick Thompson, Chris Lytle, Nick Diaz and Antonio McKee.

Parisyan was born in Yerevan, Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. His family migrated to America when he was six years old. Parisyan started training in Judo when he was nine years old under fellow Armenian Gokor Chivichyan. Parisyan stated that his father began taking him to Judo lessons because he beat up on his sisters and Judo would be an effective outlet for Parisyan to take out his anger. In a book he published, however, Parisyan wrote that his father introduced him to judo to cure his laziness. By age 10, Parisyan was training his Judo under both Chivichyan and Gene LeBell.

For more than thirteen years, Parisyan developed under the Hayastan Grappling System, a style developed by Gokor Chivichyan and Gene LeBell, which blends elements of Judo, Sambo, Catch Wrestling, Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling. Parisyan continued to train at the Hayastan Academy under Gokor and Gene until late 2005. In early 2012, Karo mentioned in an interview that he has returned to the Hayastan Academy.