UFC 89

UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben
The poster for UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben
PromotionUltimate Fighting Championship
DateOctober 18, 2008
VenueNational Indoor Arena
CityBirmingham, United Kingdom
Attendance9,515[1]
Event chronology
UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Neer UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben UFC 90: Silva vs Côté

UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on October 18, 2008, at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Background

The event was headlined by a middleweight bout between Michael Bisping and Chris Leben. After the event, Leben tested positive for Stanozolol, a banned substance. He was suspended for a period of 9 months and fined one third of his purse.[2] Leben admitted he had used the substance several months prior to the fight, but stated he had assumed it would have been out of his system by then.

This event aired live in Great Britain and Ireland on Setanta Sports and via tape delay in the United States and Canada on Spike TV. It also aired live via Rogers Sportsnet in Canada. The broadcast drew an average of 2.6 million viewers and peaked with 3.4 million viewers on Spike TV.[3]

Lyoto Machida was scheduled to face fellow undefeated light heavyweight Thiago Silva, but a back injury forced Silva to withdraw from the fight.[4] The fight was rescheduled for UFC 94.

This event marked the debut of longtime UFC fighter and record holder Jim Miller.

Results

Main card (Spike TV)
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Middleweight Michael Bisping def. Chris Leben Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) 3 5:00
Light Heavyweight Keith Jardine def. Brandon Vera Decision (split) (28–29, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Light Heavyweight Luiz Cane def. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou TKO (punches) 2 4:15
Welterweight Chris Lytle def. Paul Taylor Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 30–27, 29–28) 3 5:00
Welterweight Marcus Davis def. Paul Kelly Submission (guillotine choke) 2 2:16
Preliminary card
Welterweight Dan Hardy def. Akihiro Gono Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) 3 5:00
Heavyweight Shane Carwin def. Neil Wain TKO (punches) 1 1:31
Lightweight David Bielkheden def. Jess Liaudin Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 30–27) 3 5:00
Lightweight Terry Etim def. Sam Stout Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 30–27) 3 5:00
Lightweight Jim Miller def. David Baron Submission (rear-naked choke) 3 3:19
Lightweight Per Eklund def. Samy Schiavo Submission (rear-naked choke) 3 1:47

Bonus awards

All fighters were awarded an extra $40,000.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cane, Miller, Lytle, Taylor win post-UFC 89 honors". MMAFighting.com. 18 October 2008. Archived from the original on 24 October 2008.
  2. ^ "UFC Flags Leben for Steroid Use". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 3 November 2008.
  3. ^ "UFC 89 on Spike TV peaks with 3.4 million viewers". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  4. ^ "THIAGO SILVA OUT OF UFC 89 FIGHT WITH MACHIDA". MMA Weekly. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  5. ^ "UFC 89 AWARDS NET $40,000 BONUSES". MMA Weekly. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2008.