As if the land that gave us Lennox Lewis, fish & chips, The Beatles and Monty Python hasn’t done enough for us already, we get another UFC show from the home of Tony Blair. This time around, UFC 89 will air pro bono on Spike for all of us with basic cable, and the main card promises to be more than worth the price of admission.

While short on conventional headlining bouts, the main card makes up for it by packing in five bouts with major implications in their respective divisions. You have Michael Bisping trying to solidify his middleweight resume against Chris Leben, Brandon Vera upping the ante in his light heavyweight run and enough Englishmen to start a soccer hooligan gang.

So read on and feel free to send me plenty of e-mails after the show mocking my picks. Not like I need to give you permission anyway.

Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
Bisping Scouting Report
Height/Weight: 6’2/185 lbs.
Age: 29
Hometown: Cyprus
Fighting out of: Liverpool, England
Record: 16-1

The stakes: After emerging from “The Ultimate Fighter” as the UFC’s expected European golden boy, Bisping didn’t meet expectations at light heavyweight as he claimed a controversial decision over Matt Hamill and dropped a blasé bout against Rashad Evans. Now entrenched as a middleweight, the luster of that TUF fame hinges on Bisping proving he can be the kind of force at middleweight that he was pegged to become as a light heavyweight.

The breakdown: More of a Punch-and-Judy striker than a heavy-handed bomber, Bisping must rely on his speed and versatility if he plans on surviving on the feet against Leben, who has the chin and power to turn around any fight in a hurry. While exploiting Leben’s suspect grappling may be in the back of Bisping’s mind, he lacks the wrestling to consistently take Leben down and is better off using his footwork and speed to befuddle Leben and his lumbering style.

Leben Scouting Report
Height/Weight: 5’11/185 lbs.
Age: 28
Hometown: Portland, Ore.
Fighting out of: Oahu, Hawaii
Record: 18-4

The stakes: While Leben is a TUF alumnus as well, his run on the show is best remembered for booze-fueled hysterics and a shocking loss to current lightweight contender Kenny Florian. Since then, Leben has been hot and cold in the Octagon. However, he is currently riding a two-fight win streak that has him moving toward contender status. A win over Bisping may get the UFC thinking about giving Leben another shot at taking on the middleweight elite.

The breakdown: As always, Leben will look to unload his arsenal of looping punches in between smothering Bisping with solid clinch work. However, we’ve seen Leben struggle against opponents with good movement and Bisping is hardly a stationary target. What is working in Leben’s favor is Bisping’s exploitable chin. The story never changes with Leben as his hopes rest on landing one of those overhand doom hammers.


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The bottom line: This one comes down to Bisping avoiding Leben’s bombs for 15 minutes. The Brit lacks both the power to knock out Leben and the takedowns to exploit him on the ground. Odd as it may seem, the odds favor Bisping, whose high-volume striking style and constant movement are built to frustrate Leben. Expect a workmanlike performance from Bisping as he outsmarts and outmaneuvers Leben en route to a decision win.