UFC 89 Results:
Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben

Click here to go back in time and read my predictions for UFC 89

UFC 89 was built around the idea that Michael Bisping would put on a good show for his hometown fans, which he sort of did. Keith Jardine and Brandon Vera both desperately wanted to gain momentum in the light heavyweight division. Both Bisping and Jardine got their respective victories but neither emerged as credible title contenders.

News Update: On November 3, 2008, Chris Leben is suspended from fighting after testing positive for steroids following his fight with Michael Bisping.

Marcus Davis vs. Paul Kelly
This fight didn’t go the way I expected it to except for maybe the finish. I was hoping for more of a brawl but instead both fighters looked very conservative. Davis at least remembered that you need to generate offence in order to win a fight. I don’t know what was wrong with Kelly. His stance looked very stiff. Perhaps he was caught up in the moment of fighting a well-known guy like Davis. Then again, maybe he came in with an injury? In the end, Kelly didn’t do much until he went for a takedown in the second round. That lone spat of aggression ironically lead to him getting caught in a guillotine, which ended the fight. Davis is becoming a gatekeeper in the welterweight division – someone who can take out lesser fighter but can’t break into the main event. He almost always puts on a good show, so I’d say his job is pretty safe.

Chris Lytle vs. Paul Taylor
I thought it was interesting that Taylor got higher billing than Kelly because it was Taylor that lost when the two had their awesome war last year. Anyway, unlike his fellow Brit, Taylor put on a hell of a show tonight. Lytle threw everything he had at Taylor and still couldn’t finish him off. Lytle put all his energy into each attack too. I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a knockout in this fight. Luckily, this was a battle you didn’t want to end early. I hope Lytle can build off this victory because I love watching him fight. I think he alluded to a showdown with Marcus Davis being on the horizon…that would be rad.

Sokoudjou vs. Luiz Cane
Damn, I really called this fight wrong. I was not expecting Cane to beat Sokoudjou, let alone knock him the hell out. This would be like seeing Sarah Palin win a game of Jeopardy against two college graduates. I have to make as many Palin jokes as possible until the election happens because then…y’know…she’s going back to Alaska. Anyway, Sokoudjou looked like he gassed himself out by throwing all his strikes with full force. In the second round Cane was able to walk him down and pick his spots. It looks like Sokoudjou will need to rethink his approach to fighting ala Chris Leben. As for Cane, he’s got nowhere to go but up. Hopefully he’ll get a fight with another main event hopeful like Lyoto Machida, Thiago Silva or Keith Jardine.

Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera
Speaking of the Dean of Mean, he’s a guy who’s been flirting with contender status for over a year. Every time I think he’s “one fight away from a title shot” he gets knocked out. Brandon Vera on the other hand has been trying to recapture the excitement he once gave to UFC fans when he was a heavyweight. I still think Vera’s a good fighter but he’s looked tentative ever since he broke his hand in the Tim Sylvia fight. It’s a damn shame because he’s got much more charisma than Jardine. I know the UFC would love to give a guy like Vera a title shot but at this rate it may never happen. Jardine may not have the looks or the promo skills of Vera but he’s been more fun to watch inside the octagon. Sadly, this wasn’t a great fight by any means. I know Jardine wanted more than just a split decision victory, especially considering how long it’s going to take the UFC to cave in and give him a title shot. So, needless to say I’m very curious as to where both of these guys will go from here.

Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
After seeing his fellow Brits lose earlier in the evening you know that Bisping wanted to get the win here. Ultimately, both him and the UFC got what they wanted out of this fight. Bisping got to have has hand raised with a relatively convincing decision win (*cough*Matt Hamill*cough*) and Leben “put on a good show” by losing with dignity. Everybody’s happy. Well, I for one want to see Bisping face one of the top tier 185 fighters in the UFC. I would love to see Dan Henderson fight him because there’s no way Bisping can dance around and throw punches like he did on this night. Even if Bisping can stay away from Henderson’s lethal hands there’s no way he’d be able to stuff his takedowns. If Michael thinks I’m full of crap than I’d be happy to have him prove me wrong. In all fairness, I gained a small measure of respect for Bisping after watching this fight. He at least recognized that he’s not ready for a title shot yet. Although, you could make the argument that he’s just ducking the tough fights. In any event, Michael can still walk around saying he’s “never had me ass kicked in my life” for a little while longer.

So, I felt this was a moderately entertaining show. The Lytle/Taylor fight was the only thing that I would call “must-see” material. No title challengers emerged from the two headlining bouts but you can’t really complain about that because this was a free show. My only other complaint is the fact that I had to deal with commercials. I guess that means there’s really nothing free in this world after all!

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