UFC 89: Counts, Cripplers, Assassins and Hand Grenades

Now I will be the first to admit that looking at the fight poster, this event is definitely worth the $0 we will have to pay to see it. Yet, if you were to really take a close look at the card, we find a pretty interesting bunch of fights.

We will start with the Main Event of this card.

Mike "The Count" Bisping vs. Chris "The Crippler" Leben

Bisping is coming off of a two-fight win streak since dropping down to the middleweight division, yet he is getting no recognition.

Reason being, because he has fought Charles Mccarthy and Jason "Doomed To The Undercard" Day. Lets just call them the Campbell's Soup of cans.

With a win against Leben in the main event of a card that any MMA fan can watch, Mike Bisping could gain some tread on his tires, as he drives towards "The Spider".

Chirs Leben is also on a two-fight win streak after going 1-3 on his previous four fights. This is seemingly a must win for Leben if he ever wants to be seen as a threat in the middleweight division.

This fight was supposed to happen at UFC 85, but Leben got 35 days in jail due to a DUI, leading the fight to be postponed. That DUI may have been a blessing in disguise, because without it, this fight would not be a main event (not to say it should be now).

Brandon "The Truth" Vera vs. Keith "Coolest Nickname In The Game" Jardine.

Brandon Vera was once considered to be the future of the UFC Heavyweight division, after finishing his first four fights in the UFC, three in the first round.

He was even able to put Frank Mir away one minute into the fight. But when put against Tim Silvia, Vera looked outclassed in a fight that went all three rounds, and gave Vera his first ever loss.

Vera would then get stopped by Fabricio Werdum, forcing him to try his hand at the Light Heavyweight division. After a less than impressive decision victory over Reese Andy, Vera is looking to rebound from a win (sounds weird right) and look to put himself in the title hunt.

Keith Jardine is a guy that looks like an unstoppable force at light heavyweight one night, then looks like an undercard fighter in the spotlight the next.

He has defeated former UFC champion and legend Chuck Liddell, and is the only guy to stop current Light Heavyweight champ, Forrest Griffin, inside the Octagon.

Yet, in a span of four fights, including the aforementioned two, he has been stopped in the first round twice, in a grand total of 84 seconds. Like Vera, if Keith wants to be considered a force and not a farce, he'll need to beat Vera, and look dominant in doing so.

Rameau "The African Assassin" Soukoudjou vs. Luis "Banha" Cane

Soukoudjou is a very special case. Why is a 5-2 fighter ranked top ten in the world?

I wondered this too, until I watched him fight. The 24-year-old Cameroonian shows signs of greatness when he wins, but shows signs of inexperience when he loses.

While in Pride Soko was able to compose two KO victories over Antonio Roderio Nogueira (Big Nogs brother with almost the exact same name, notice the missing "G" in the middle name) and Ricardo Arona in just two minutes and 22 seconds.

That's pretty impressive when you look at the fight history of those two guys. Soko is looking to be only the second fighter to beat Cane, (his other loss is by DQ for kneeing James Irvin in the head while down) and in doing so, could put himself in line for a future title fight.

Luis Cane is a relative unknown to UFC fans, but here's why you should know who he is.

Cane has never let a fight go to the judges and is 8-1 with seven KO's and one submission victory. Cane's last fight was a TKO over Jason Lambert, and with a win over a top ten fighter, Cane will no longer be slipping under the radar.

Shane Carwin vs. Neil Wain

No nicknames here, just talent. Shane Carwin is gaining alot of recognition among MMA fanatics. Undefeated for a reason, Shane Carwin has finished all nine fights he's been involved in, four by KO, five by submission.

This guy will finish a fight any way he can, which makes him one of the most dangerous up and comers in the division. At 33 years old, this late bloomer can't afford any setbacks, making this a sleeper for fight of the night honors.

Neil Wain is a 4-0 English fighter that is making his debut in England. I wonder who the fans will cheer for more.

He is going to be a major underdog in this fight due to his inexperience and the huge reach disadvantage (Shane Carwin is six inches taller than the 5-10 Wain).

Don't be fooled by this guys small stature though. He packs one hell of a punch as seen by his record. All four fights he's been in, he has won by KO/TKO in the first round.

Only problem is, his opponents had a combined record 3-14. Not exactly a who's who of fighters, in fact I guarantee you don't know any of the fighters he's fought.

That doesn't mean you should totally discount him in this fight, just don't put too much money on him winning this fight.

Those were the most interesting fights in my eye, but those arent the only fights. Marcus Davis will return to fight Paul Kelly and Chris Lytle will fight Paul Taylor. It's bound to be exciting with all these hard hitters fighting for recognition, so don't discount this card because this may very well be crowned Card Of The Year.