Sunday, October 19, 2008

UFC 89 Review

Overall UFC 89 was very solid. There weren't a lot of exciting finishes but there were a lot of exciting fights. The crowd was really into it and the atmosphere, as usual in the UK, was stellar. The presentation was lacking but that's to be expected on tape delay and on cable with commercials. Let's start breaking down the fights and my performance.

David Baron v. Jim Miller: Baron won by submission in round 3. I was way off on this one.

Sam Stout v. Terry Etim: Terry Etim wins by unanimous decision. Again I was wrong.

Samy Schiavo v. Per Eklund: Eklund won by submission in round 3. I'm really on a roll here (yikes!)... wrong again.

Jess Liaudin v. David Bielkheden: David wins by unanimous decision. I finally got a pick right but not the prediction.

Akihiro Gono v. Dan Hardy: Hardy wins a split decision. Back on the losing end for me.

Shane Carwin v. Neil Wain: Carwin steam rolled Wain by TKO in the first round. I got the pick right and almost got the prediction but not quite. Carwin is really on a roll and I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing him spotlighted the way the UFC has started doing with Cain Velasquez.

Chris Lytle v. Paul Taylor: This fight was very close and was an absolute war with Taylor looking sharper in the the stand up but Lytle looking more dangerous. Ultimately it was Lytle's aggressive style and his damaging shots that won him the fight (along with a couple take downs) by unanimous decision. I actually agreed with this even though I was wrong once again here. I thought it was a stupid strategy by Lytle but he pulled out the win and put on a great fight.

Marcus Davis v. Paul Kelly: Davis looked great in this fight staying outside of Kelly in the first round and landing some good shots and then taking him down in the second only to choke out Kelly with a guillotine. It was a great rebound win for Davis after his loss to Swick. I got the pick right here but not the prediction.

Sokoudjou v. Luis Cane: Sokoudjou started out great and looked very powerful and quick. However, he gassed very quickly basically by the end of the first round and that's when Cane made his move. Cane just picked him apart in the second eventually landing a great punch that sent Sokoudjou to the ground and Cane finished it by TKO. This was a very disappointing fight for Sokoudjou but Cane is starting to make his mark in the UFC after two solid wins. I was way off on this fight.

Keith Jardine v. Brandon Vera: This fight basically went exactly like I thought. Both guys stood and traded basically. Even though I picked the fight perfectly with Jardine winning the split decision by virtue of landing more strikes I actually thought Vera won this fight. However, with how my night's been going I'll take whatever I can get.

Michael Bisping v. Chris Leben: This fight also went exactly like I thought. Leben went in looking to knock out Bisping or get knocked out. Bisping's style was too technical and fast for Leben. They stood and traded with both guys taking their shots but neither one in any serious danger. Bisping won simply by landing more strikes. It was an entertaining fight but we didn't really learn anything about either fighter. And just like I predicted Bisping won a unanimous decision. I was glad to hear Bisping say he thought he needed at least another win or two before a title shot because I agree a hundred per cent.

All in all it was a very entertaining night but my record was horrible going 5-6 with two bonus points for picking the last two fights on the nose. Hopefully next week will go better for me. Stay tuned for my UFC 90 preview and my TUF 8 review. Until then,

Soccer kicks and head stomps...

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