UFC 89: What We Learned

Here is a quick recap of my takeaways from UFC 89:

Marcus Davis vs. Paul Kelly: Marcus is now a legitimate UFC veteran at 7-1. Davis made quick work of Kelly, who wasn’t ready for the prime-time. Davis made a plea to fight in Ireland at UFC 93, and I hope they grant him his wish.

He is a bona fide top 10, and with his improved quickness and slick submission game, he looks to be around for some time. I am a fan of Marcus Davis; he is a class act.

Paul Taylor vs. Chris Lytle: Fight of the Night. You have to love Paul Taylor. The guy has no quit in him, and he always puts on a great show for the fans. Despite his losses, he will always have a job in the UFC. Lytle shocked me with his stand up, and he landed some great shots on Taylor. They both have great chins and great heart.

Lytle, in his win, called for a fight with Davis, and he may get his wish at UFC 93 in Ireland. It should be a great fight since both have good stand up and submission ability.

Rameau Sokoudjou vs. Louis Cane: While Sokoudjou is still a good young talent at only 24, this fight really set him back. He was aggressive to start the fight and looked crisp in his striking. Cane remained patient and all he needed was a knee followed by a vicious punch to put Rameau on the canvas and finish him off.

The thing I learned the most in this fight is that Lyoto Machida is the real deal! Machida made Sokoudjou look tame in their fight compared to this one. It will be interesting to see whom Cane gets next as he climbs the light-heavyweight ladder.

Look for Rameau to get relegated to the under card of his next UFC. Perhaps he can fight Brandon Vera who failed to look impressive once again.

Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera: Vera had a golden opportunity and he let it pass him by. He didn’t look aggressive enough and didn’t do any significant damage to Jardine, with the exception of a leg kick to the knee.

Jardine, while he didn’t finish the fight, did win it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he got a rematch against Chuck Liddell. That is if they don’t put together a superfight: The Spider vs. The Iceman at UFC 94!

Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben: Bisping proved he is the real deal, but you heard the truth straight from his own mouth afer he won the fight. He isn’t ready for a title shot. He will get plenty of time to train since he is set to be the coach of TUF 9.

The winner of Franklin vs. Henderson, at UFC 93, should give us the opposing coach and his next opponent. If he can win that fight, then he is definitely the real deal. After that, here comes The Spider and his web of lethal strikes.

By the way, who doesn’t have love for Leben now! To find out who he might fight next, read my article on Chris Leben.

I hope everyone enjoyed the free show on Spike TV. Now lets all get ready for UFC 90!