UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Daniel Cornmeat
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Introduction
UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben. October 18, 2008. National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England. The first UFC event in Birmingham — the fifth UK UFC overall. Michael Bisping defeated Chris Leben by unanimous decision — 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 — in front of a passionate hometown crowd.
Keith Jardine defeated Brandon Vera by controversial split decision in the co-main. Luiz Cane stopped Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou by TKO to earn Knockout of the Night. Chris Lytle and Paul Taylor delivered Fight of the Night. Post-fight, Chris Leben tested positive for Stanozolol and was suspended for nine months. 9,515 attended.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Quick Stats
3. The Build-Up
4. Main Event
5. Co-Main Event
6. Full Results
7. Bonuses & Awards
8. Records & Milestones
9. Legacy & Impact
10. FAQ
11. References
Quick Stats
Date: October 18, 2008
Venue: National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England, UK (first UFC in Birmingham)
Attendance: 9,515; Gate: $1.2M
Broadcast: Live on Setanta Sports (UK/Ireland); tape delay Spike TV USA (2.6M viewers; peaked 3.4M)
Main Event: Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben — Middleweight
Result: Michael Bisping def. Chris Leben — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Notable: Leben tested positive for Stanozolol post-fight (9-month ban); Jardine-Vera controversial SD; Machida vs. Silva cancelled (Silva back injury)
The Build-Up
Chris Leben had originally been scheduled to fight Bisping at UFC 85 — the bout was postponed due to Leben’s legal issues. UFC 89 was the rescheduled version, now in Bisping’s home country in front of a Birmingham crowd.
Lyoto Machida was scheduled to fight Thiago Silva in an all-unbeaten LHW matchup. Silva withdrew with a back injury. The fight was rescheduled for UFC 94 in January 2009.
Main Event
Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben — Middleweight
Bisping used his boxing and movement to outwork Leben over three rounds. Leben, a powerful brawler, could not consistently land clean shots. Bisping’s volume and accuracy carried all three rounds on two of three scorecards; the third judge had him winning two. Unanimous decision: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.
Post-fight, Leben tested positive for Stanozolol — an anabolic steroid. He admitted to using it several months prior but believed it had cleared his system. The UFC suspended him for nine months and fined him one-third of his purse.
Co-Main Event
Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera — Light Heavyweight
Jardine defeated Vera by split decision — 28-29, 29-28, 29-28. The result was disputed; many observers felt Vera had done enough to win. Vera had come to fight at LHW despite normally competing closer to HW weight. Jardine won two of three scorecards.
Full Results
Preliminary Card
Per Eklund def. Samy Schiavo — Submission (RNC) — R3, 1:47 — LW
Jim Miller def. David Baron — Submission (RNC) — R3, 3:19 — LW; Sub of the Night ($40k)
Terry Etim def. Sam Stout — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 — LW
David Bielkheden def. Jess Liaudin — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 — LW
Shane Carwin def. Neil Wain — TKO (Punches) — R1, 1:31 — HW
Dan Hardy def. Akihiro Gono — Decision (Split) — R3, 5:00 (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — WW
Main Card
Marcus Davis def. Paul Kelly — Submission (Guillotine) — R2, 2:16 — WW
Chris Lytle def. Paul Taylor — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) — WW; Fight of the Night ($40k each)
Luiz Cané def. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou — TKO (Punches) — R2, 4:15 — LHW; KO of the Night ($40k to Cané)
Keith Jardine def. Brandon Vera — Decision (Split) — R3, 5:00 (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) — LHW; Co-Main; controversial result
Main Event — Middleweight
Michael Bisping def. Chris Leben — Decision (Unanimous) — R3, 5:00 (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) — Leben tested positive for Stanozolol post-fight; suspended 9 months
Bonuses & Awards
Fight of the Night: Chris Lytle vs. Paul Taylor — $40,000 to each fighter.
KO of the Night: Luiz Cané vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou — $40,000 to Cané.
Sub of the Night: Jim Miller vs. David Baron — $40,000 to Miller.
Note: Chris Leben subsequently tested positive for the banned steroid Stanozolol and was suspended nine months by the NSAC with a fine of one-third of his purse.
Records & Milestones
First UFC in Birmingham — National Indoor Arena; fifth UK UFC overall.
Chris Leben Stanozolol suspension — positive test post-fight; 9 months; Leben admitted use prior to the fight.
Spike TV peak of 3.4 million viewers — the event’s tape delay on Spike TV drew strong ratings for a UK-based card.
Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva cancelled — rescheduled for UFC 94 (January 2009).
Legacy & Impact
UFC 89 continued the UFC’s systematic UK expansion: London (The O2), Manchester, Newcastle, and now Birmingham, each hosting a sold-out or near-capacity card. Bisping fighting in his own country, in a new city, with a decisive win over a recognised opponent, reinforced his position as the face of British UFC.
Chris Leben’s post-fight drug positive was one of the more detailed cases of the era — his admission that he had used Stanozolol before the fight but believed it had cleared made it an unusual transparency in a usually opaque area of athlete conduct.
FAQ
Was UFC 89 the first UFC event in Birmingham?
Yes. UFC 89 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England was the first UFC event in the city. It was the fifth UK UFC overall.
What happened to Chris Leben after UFC 89?
Leben tested positive for Stanozolol (an anabolic steroid) in post-fight testing. He was suspended for nine months and fined one-third of his purse. He had admitted using the substance but believed it had cleared his system.
Was the Jardine vs Vera result at UFC 89 controversial?
Yes. The split decision for Jardine (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) was disputed. Many observers felt Vera had done enough to win the fight.
Why was Lyoto Machida not on the UFC 89 card?
Machida was scheduled to fight Thiago Silva in an all-unbeaten LHW bout. Silva withdrew with a back injury. The fight was rescheduled for UFC 94 in January 2009.
What were the UFC 89 bonus amounts?
$40,000 per recipient. This was lower than the $60,000 used at recent US events, reflecting that the event was broadcast on Spike TV rather than PPV.
References
Comments