UFC 89: To be Aired Spike TV
It is expected that during tomorrows counter-programming to the EliteXC when the UFC will allow fans to watch UFC 84 for free that Dana White will announce a new deal with Spike TV to host UFC 89.
“Dana White is expected to officially announce tomorrow that UFC 89, headlined by Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben, will air for free on Spike TV. Show takes place October 18th from the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.”
UFC 89 currently features a less than amazing card. The current main event is Michael Bisping Vs. Chris Leben. The card is not yet filled up though, so hopefully we will get a free title fight!
UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben Official
UFC 89 was made official by the UFC earlier today and has been set for October 18th at The National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.
Tickets for the event can be bought on Saturday or if you are a member of the fight club you will be able to get your tickets this Wednesday ahead of the crowds.
The event as it currently stands will see Michael Bisping taking on Chris Leben a fight which should of happened at UFC 85 but due to a jail sentence for Leben was forced to be canceled. Leben was replaced by Canadian Jason Day in the event and Michael Bisping made it look like an easy win.
UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben
The fight has been set… Michael Bisping will be facing off with Chris Leben at UFC 89.
This is the second time the fight has been scheduled but due to Leben having some jail time to take care of in the States the fight had to be canceled.
From the UFC:
“Two of our amazing fighters, Michael Bisping and Chris Leben, have just agreed to fight. Everyone knows about Leben’s striking power, and it’s the strike fest everyone wants. It’s the fight everyone wants to see.”
When the rest of the UFC 89 card breaks we will bring it to you right here on mma-live!
UFC 85: Bedlam Live Results
Image courtesy of CombatLifestyle
Tomorrow the UFC is live from the 02 Arena London, England. You can find all the live results right here as the fight ends. The main card will feature in depth analysis for all those that didn’t get to watch the event or simply chose not too. You can also see the official weigh in results right here too. So remember… bookmark this post to get MMA-Live’s outlook on all these fights.
Quick Results
Thiago Alves defeats Matt Hughes via TKO in round two.
Michael Bisping defeats Jason Day by TKO (strikes) in round one.
Mike Swick defeats Marcus Davis via unanimous decision
Thales Leites defeats Nate Marquardt via split decision.
Fabricio Werdum defeats Brandon Vera with 20 seconds remaining in the first round due to TKO (Strikes)
Martin Kampmann defeats Jorge Rivera via submission (guillotine choke) in round one
Matt Wiman defeats Thiago Tavares via knockout in round two
Kevin Burns defeats Roan Carneiro via submission in round two
Luis Cane defeats Jason Lambert via technical knockout (strikes) in round one
Paul Taylor defeats Jess Liaudin via split decision
Antoni Hardonk defeats Eddie Sanchez via technical knockout (strikes) in round two
Thiago Alves (174) VS Matt Hughes (170)
Round 1: Hughes tries the take down but doesn’t get it. Matt throws him up against the cage then pulls guard. Alves throws some punches and goes back to standing. They get back to the ground with Alves getting Hughes in guard. Thiago Alves holds Matt Hughes in place on the ground. Hughes tries to pass but only gets into half guard. Alves stands but Hughes keeps control of the knee. Alves spins out and ends up once again in Hughes’ guard. Thiago gets high and does some ground ‘n’ pound. This round goes to Thiago Alves in my opinion.
Round 2: Matt Hughes takes a big knee at the start of the round but manages to pull guard over Thiago Alves. Alves escapes and gives another huge knee to Hughes. Referee Herb Dean stops the fight due to TKO
Result: Thiago Alves defeats Matt Hughes via TKO in round two.
Jason Day (184) VS Michael Bisping (184)
Round 1: Both fighters come out punching and throwing a few leg kicks. Bisping gets day on the ground and throws some huge punches to the face of Day. Bisping gets side control but Day gets up only to be took back into side control. Bisping gets mount and then spins round to back control delivering punches. Michael Bisping wins by TKO (Strikes)
Result: Michael Bisping defeats Jason Day by TKO (strikes) in round one.
Mike Swick (170) VS Marcus Davis (170)
Round 1: Swick throwing some big head kicks but gets caught be a fist. Both fighters get up against the cage and Swick gets the take down. Swick has pretty much remained in the guard of Davis all the way through the round getting a few passes here and there. End of round one.
Round 2: Swick throws some huge punches and knees to get Davis to the ground and into Davis’ guard. Swick gets the pass from the guard into side control. The fight gets back to standing with two minutes remaining. Davis throws a few combinations and attempts a take down but fails. Davis manages to get Swick down. Swick attempts triangle but can’t get it. The fight goes back to it’s feet where Swick slammed Davis hard into the mat. In my opinion Swick took the round.
Round 3: Both fighters throwing some good punches and keep getting up against the cage with each other, throwing some knees while they are there. One point deducted from Swick for holding the cage. Swick gave some huge punches while in the guard of Davis. I give the round to Swick once again even with the point deduction
Result: All 3 judges 29-27 for Mike Swick
Thales Leites (185) VS Nate Marquardt (185)
Round 1: Leites gets a huge puch about two minutes in knocking Marquardt down and getting mount. Marquardt escapes and gets the fight back on it’s feet. Marquardt gets a good combination of punches and rocks Leites close to the end of round one. Round ended pretty even from both fighters. Maybe 10-9 to Leites
Round 2: Marquardt has a nice combination and puts in an illegal knee to Leites’ face while he is on the ground. Leites continued to fight. Leites is bleeding a lot from the mouth midway through the round. Marquardt is putting in some huge punches to his downed opponent. Marquardt continues to throw the elbows with a minute remaining. Herb Dean stands the fight up with 30 seconds remaining. Leites mounts Marquardt and gets a few punches in. End of round two. Clearly the round has to go to Marquardt even with the illegal knee he kept control afterwards.
Round 3: Both fighters come out and touch gloves. Leites puts in a flying knee attempt but Marquardt takes him down. Leites goes for the triangle. Marquardt hits the back of the head and he gets a second point deducted. Marquardt throws a huge right hand. 3 minutes remain and both fighters remain standing. Leites keeps attempting the rubber guard. Marquardt comes in with a pile driver. It looked very illegal due to landing on the neck.
Result: 28-27 Leitis, 28-27 Marquardt, 28-27 Leitis. The two points deducted allowed Leitis to win the fight by split decision
Fabricio Werdum (247) VS Brandon Vera (228)
Round 1: UFC 85 gets underway and the two guys do a lot of grappling. Vera gets Werdum in guard but Werdum continues to deliver the puches to the face. Vera releases the guard and gets back to standing. Vera got a huge punch and Werdum looked hurt for a few seconds. Werdum gets a good takedown but right into Vera’s Guard. Werdum gets mount and begins the ground and pound process. Vera keeps his hand up with the face covered. He is not defenseless but the referee stopped the fight much to the dislike of the English crowd.
Result: Fabricio Werdum defeats Brandon Vera with 20 seconds remaining in the first round due to TKO (Strikes)
Jason Day: Fight with Bisping to be ‘Wicked’
“Everything is falling into place. It’s just clicking, and I’m loving it. I just look at guys, and something says I want to fight them. It’s just instinct I guess. It’s just pure luck that this fight came up, and they thought of me. I still have four weeks and I’m in good shape now. This isn’t short notice at all. It’s twice as long as any training camp I get. I’m playing leapfrog right now. I think I opened up a lot of eyes with that [Belcher] win, and now I get to fight another guy who is very well known, who’s got a great reputation and has never been stopped. A win over Bisping and I jump another few notches on the ladder. Right now I’m loving how I’m getting matched up…. He’s just a well-rounded fighter. I think we match up very well. I have a lot of respect for him. It’s not like he’s a bad guy or anything, but I think it has potential to be a wicked fight…. I love to put on an exciting fight. I’m an entertainer. I’d rather put on an exciting fight and lose a close decision than have a boring grind-out that I win. Nobody likes to lose, but I want to have that marquee fight.”
The above quote is from Jason Day who is replacing Chris Leben in the fight against Michael Bisping at UFC 85 in London, England. Day came out of UFC 83 (his octagon debut) with a win over Alan Belcher.
Leben Jailed for 35 Days
Chris Leben is currently in jail after being sentenced to 35 days. His previous 8 days were taken into account and he is due to be released only 12 days before his fight with Michael Bisping at the 02 Arena, London, England.
The UFC 85 bout looks unlikely now. With Leben getting no training and is far from getting the nutrition he requires for the fight.
An update from MMA on Tap:
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer is reporting that Leben has been removed from his scheduled matchup against Bisping next month. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva reportedly already has an unknown replacement signed and ready to go.
Michael Bisping: I think fireworks are pretty much guaranteed.
“The fight [with Chris Leben at UFC 85] was offered to me the day after I fought Charles McCarthy [at UFC 83]. There wasn’t a single moment of hesitation from me. Not a single breath. Chris has put himself back into the mix at middleweight and if I want to go for the title then I need to beat guys like him. Chris has beaten a lot of good guys. 18-4 is a good record in MMA. He’s a colourful character and I like him…he reminds me of myself in some ways. He likes to fight and he’s a real person. Leben’s tough, has got heavy hands and swings hard and he’s skilled on the ground despite not being known for that. It might come down to who’s got the better chin out of both of us, but it could be more a case of who’s technically better. I think I’m technically better than Chris Leben. He’s quite a brawler, he’ll take a couple of shots on the way in to land one of his own. He chases people round a little bit so I think fireworks are pretty much guaranteed.”
Bisping gives his thoughts on his upcoming fight with Chris Leben at UFC 85 in London, England on June 7th.
UFC 85: Bouts Confirmed - Hughes Vs. Alves Main Event
The UFC has now confirmed what was released on Matt Hughes’ website earlier today. The new main event for UFC 85 will be Matt Hughes Vs. Thiago Alves. There is also a co main event featuring recently turned middleweight Michael Bisping Vs. Chris Leben. Although rumors have been flying about that UFC 85 will be on Spike TV for Americans this was not confirmed by the UFC’s website, which still has it down as PPV.
Heres a snippet from Matt Hughes’ website earlier today:
June 7th, in England, I fight Thiago Alves. The fight is confirmed, it will be the main event for the card. Dana just called me with the news. Chuck got hurt and couldn’t fight, so he needed a replacement and called me and I said yes. More news as I get it. No matter what happens in this fight, I’ve got Serra next. -matt
Full list of confirmed fights at UFC 85:
Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves
Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick
Rashad Evans vs. James Irvin
Fabricio Werdum vs. Brandon Vera
Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman
Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites
Luis Arthur Cane vs. Jason Lambert
Neil Wain vs. Antoni Hardonk
UFC 85: Chuck Liddell’s Replacement
The UFC has had to start modifying the card for UFC 85 after Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell’s recent hamstring injury.
No announcements on UFC’s part have been made yet but MMAmania claim they have sources to what the fights are going to be.
MMAmania announced that Chuck Liddell will be replaced by James Irvin in the fight against Rashad Evans. It has also been mentioned that a fight between middleweights Michael Bisping and Chris Leben could now also be taking place at the 02 arena in London.
Stay tuned for updates on this fightcard!