UFC 89 Vera: You Can't Handle The Truth!

Well, I don't know about all of you people, but I, for one, am excited about the UFC card this weekend.  Now I know that some of you out there see that the event is free, and therefore must not have the best fighters.  Well, here's my preview, including the reasons that you should watch this card.

1. Michael Bisping (-215) vs Chris Leben (+175)

Michael "the Count" Bisping is clearly being groomed to be a star in the UFC.  The UFC is looking to expand into Europe, and Bisping, who hails from the UK, is a huge part UFC's strategy to gain in popularity in the UK.  Bisping has already fought three of his seven UFC fights in the UK, and is clearly a big draw and fan favorite there.  Make no mistake, Zuffa wants Bisping to win this fight.  While Chris Leben has heavy hands, and a solid chin, his overall arsenal is less developed than that of Bisping. This upcoming fight will have many repercussions.  A win over the middleweight gatekeeper Chris Leben gives The Count a lot more legitimacy than his previous wins over Jason Day and Charles McCarthy.  A win also positions Bisping well for his expected coaching job on "The Ultimate Fighter 9: USA vs UK".  Prediction:  Bisping will fight a smarter fight and win by KO or TKO in rounds 2 or 3, and at -200 holds some value for punters.

2. Keith Jardine (+155) vs Brandon Vera (-185)

Keith Jardine and Brandon Vera are both in desperate need of a good win.  Keith Jardine is like a box of Chocolates; You never know what you're gonna get.  One day he can outclass Chuck Liddell or Forrest Griffin, or, he might just get knocked out in under a minute by Wanderlei or Houston Alexander.  Brandon Vera is coming off a win over Reese Andy that was so mediocre, that it may as well have been a loss.  Vera was making his debut at 205, and perhaps the weight cut affected his performance.  As well, Vera also admits that perhaps he wasn't as focused on training as he should have been.  Vera claims to have gotten back the "Eye of the Tiger", and won't even need to cut weight to get to 205, as he says he is walking around at 203 right now.  I've tried to figure out some sort of common theme that sheds light on why certain fighters seem to be able to beat Jardine, while others are frustrated by him, but I've had limited success.  It is hard to critique those fights that lasted such a short time.  However, it appears that Jardine is comfortable in exchanging shots from long range, but is much less comfortable with shots coming from close range.  Brandon Vera also likes his long range shots, but is also comfortable in a clinch, and in most ground situations.  In addition to that, I believe that Vera possesses better striking skills overall, as well as a better chin.  Prediction:  Vera is a good bet to beat Jardine by KO within a round, and should show himself to be the scary addition to the LHW division that he was expected to be.  All that being said, given his knockout power, and overall striking, Jardine is still a very live underdog.

3. Rameau Sokoudjou vs Luiz Cain

These two fighters are both exciting prospects in the 205lb class.  Both fighters sport UFC records of 1-1-0.  Sokoudjou is one of the most explosive fighters ever to come into the octagon, and looks huge at 205lbs.  He had the misfortune of coming against Lyoto Machida in his Octagon debut, ultimately losing to the talented Brazillian.  He'll get his chance for revenge against the 9-1-1 Cain.  Both fighters have knockout power, and good grappling games.  While Luiz Cain has the better record, Sokoudjou's 5-2 record includes wins over better competition in Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona.  Given that Sokoudjou has only ever had one fight go to a decision, and Cane has never seen round two, I expect this fight to end early.  Prediction: Look for Sokoudjou to win via TKO within two rounds, and set himself up for a fight with one of the big names in the 205lb division.

4. Paul Taylor vs Chris Lytle

This fight features two well-rounded fighters who are probably needing wins to stay relevant in the UFC.  Lytle (35-16-4) has more top-flight competition on his resume, but he hasn't had very much success against the best of the best, with notable losses to Koscheck, Alves, Hughes, Serra, Riggs, Parisyan, Lawler, Shonie Carter, and Nick Diaz.  However, although he has lost sixteen times, he has only been stopped twice, and has won most of his fights by submission or TKO.  Paul Taylor (9-3-1) has notable wins over Jess Liaudin, and losses to Marcus Davis and Paul Kelly, and two of his losses are by submission.  Given Lytle's tendency to still be there after three rounds, it seems likely that he will either win, or lose another decision. Prediction: Lytle performs well as a gatekeeper, and beats Taylor by TKO or submission.  Look for him to win yet another gatekeeper fight before losing the next one via decision against someone like Dong Hyun Kim or Yoshiyuki Yoshida, as he has already faced pretty much everyone else in the welterweight division already.  Personally, I hope Jake Shields comes over and loses his first UFC fight to this guy, because that would make my day.

5. Marcus Davis vs Paul Kelly

Another match up of two well rounded fighters.  Again, Marcus Davis (19-5) has losses, but they have included fights with Mike Swick, Melvin Guillard, and Thiago Alves.  Marcus Davis also has some quality wins.  Kelly (8-0) has not faced an opponent on the level of Marcus Davis, and needed a decision to beat Paul Taylor.  Prediction: Marcus Davis wins via KO or TKO.

6. Shane Carwin vs Neil Wain

This fight isn't on the main card, but trust me, they're going to have time to show it.  Carwin (9-0) and Wain (5-0) both have yet to fight an entire round.  Carwin looks a lot like some crazy Neanderthal, but he works a day job as an engineer.  Good thing he has brain cells to spare, because the way he fights, he may end up losing some.  Look for this fight to be aired if there are two minutes of spare time to fill sometime during the broadcast.  Prediction: Someone is getting knocked out. Look for the winner to get a shot at Gabriel Gonzaga or Cheick Kongo.

Well, there you have it.  I wish that I could have picked some upsets on this card, but this is the way that I think it will go down.  That being said, every single underdog on this card has a good chance of pulling off an upset.  The best thing about this card is that it is free, and you can use the money you saved to buy the necessary snacks and beverages.  Enjoy the fights!