Michael Bisping Vs Chris Leben Set for UFC 89

Michael  Bisping is going to become the first  British mixed martial artist to feature on the main card of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( UFC ) event In this event he will face the tough and durable Chris Leben.

This fight was to take place earlier this year, however due to Chris Leben being jailed in USA, the fight was could not take place. This resulted in Bisping being matched with Canadian Jason Day at UFC 85: BEDLAM at the 02 Arena.

World of Combat reported that this fight was rumored for the UFC 89 card and this was confirmed by Bisping when he appeared on the Setanta Sports Ultimate Talk Show on Thursday.

This is a fight that fight fans have been waiting for. It is common knowledge that Leben has a Solid chin and knockout power. These attributes will contrast well with Bisping's aggressive striking style and a solid ground game. A clash of these styles and Bisping having a quality opponent will surly make for a great entertaining fight.

The fight between Bisping and Leben is being predicted to be a sell out and the winner will surely be closer to title contention against the highly regarded mma fighter Anderson Silva. This is the first time that the Lancashire man has headlined a UK event, which will surely delight his army of British fans as much as it has him. Bisping has stated recently on a television interview that "To say I'm happy would be a massive understatement. To be headlining the UFC twice within a year is incredible," In addition he stated "to be fighting in Birmingham, the centre of the country means a lot of fans will get to see me fight, that means a lot to me." said Bisping.

Here is the breakdown of the fights that have been confirmed.

MAIN CARD

Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Luiz Cane
Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera
Marcus Davis vs. Paul Kelly
Paul Taylor vs. Chris Lytle

UNDERCARD

Akihiro Gono vs. Dan Hardy
Jess Liaudin vs. David Bielkheden
Sammy Schiavo vs. Per Eklund
Sam Stout vs. Terry Etim
Shane Carwin vs. Neil Wain
David Baron vs. Jim Miller

The fight is scheduled to take place in Birmingham, England on Saturday 18 October at the National Indoor Arena.