The 185-pound showdown between Michael Bisping (15-1) and Chris Leben (18-4) at UFC 85 that MMAmania.com first passed along days ago is now official and will take place at the O2 Arena in London, England, on June 7.
“The Count” is coming off an impressive middleweight debut at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ this past weekend, taking out Charles McCarthy in impressive fashion. It won’t be as easy, however, to pound out the super tough and extremely game “Crippler.”
Leben is on a two-fight win streak, including a technical knockout of Alessio Sakara at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” last month, as well as a sensational come from behind knockout of Terry Martin at UFC Fight Night 11.
This has fireworks written all over it — both men prefer to keep on the feet and throw leather. If it does go to the ground, however, Leben possesses a distinct advantage with his underrated ground skills.
In addition to the bout between Leben and Bisping, UFC.com also made official the main event between welterweights Matt Hughes and Thiago Alves, as well as the light heavyweight tilt between Rashad Evans and James Irvin.
Talk about making up for the loss of Chuck Liddell — the man who had to withdraw from the UFC 85 pay-per-view (PPV) event just this week with a torn hamstring. He’s essentially the reason for the sudden increase in star power.
Remember, too, that there is another fantastic 170-pound scrap on the card between Mike Swick and Marcus Davis, as well as a 185-pound match up between Nate Marquardt and Thales Leites.
Oh yeah, two top heavyweights — Brandon Vera and Fabricio Werdum — are also scheduled to tangle.
This has turned out to be an amazing line up … perhaps better than the original incarnation. To check out the latest UFC 85 fight card click here.
89 Comments »
Yay, first. Great fight, should be a war. Bisping looks so much quicker and crisper at 185.
Is there any word on who/when Rashad will fight next? He had some momentum going into the Liddell fight, and this debacle shuffles him to the back burner.
He’s fighting James Irvin at UFC 85. Read the post.
Did you read?
“as well as the light heavyweight tilt between Rashad Evans and James Irvin.”
I remember recently someone from the UK posting here saying Leben has “zero skills” and bragging about Bisbing.
Guess it will be settled now.
I had a bit of banter about this, but am not the Brit who says Leben has zero skills. However am a brit and think bisping will win - but thats natural.
Whatever the outcome this fights is so exciing.
Kind of a shame the banter will end on June 7th
That would have been me. I wasn’t bragging about Bisping as he is not my favourite fighter but I will always support the home town guy.
What I actually said was that the fight would go one one two ways, Leben by early KO or that if he didn’t get the KO in the first round he would gas and then Bisping would score a late TKO or decision.
Leben is a good test for Bisping as he has some serious power in his hands but Bispings biggest tests so far in UFC have come against wrestlers not bangers so should be interesting.
Wow, thanks for the info! (I love this site!)
I second that…I am new here and loving it
I think that bisping vs leben is gonna be the best fight of the night. Bound to be a stand up war. Just hoping bispings got a strong jaw, as he really hasnt been tested by a great standup guy. I can still see Bisping coming out with the win however
Leben by Brutal KO.
To expound on that sentiment, Leben can take plenty of punishment, but Bisping has never been hit the way Leben hits. Neither Hammill nor Rashad can throw like Leben. I don’t think Tupperware attempted any offense beyond sticking his tongue out. So in summation, Leben by brutal KO.
lol @ tupperware
this is really a great card! i don’t know why people are trying to rag on it.
bisping > leben
I concur
NICE! I use to hate Leban after and during TUF, but then he came out a fight or two ago and was in shape, had good ground and good stanup, now he can brawl any day on my TV!!!
How could you not love Leban after he pissed on that dudes bed on TUF? He always comes to bang and after Silva beat him down (except for Starns) he has been solid. Bisbing will propably try to trade with “The Crippler” and will get KTFO quick!
Im really pleased with this fight card now…much better than before
yeah, I’m reaaly impressed with how quick this card came together after pretty much being sent to shit. The powers that be over at the UFC can obviously pull some rabbits outta there hats in a pinch. I’m bummed that this isn’t a free card (I read on Bloody Elbow early in the week it was gonna broadcast live on spike) but I’ll pay the 50, it’s turned out to be a helluva card.
this is the fight to put a reality check on Leben’s rising star - IF Bisping can pull it off. Color me excited about this fight. Bisping looked like he was in the shape of his LIFE when he fought McCarthy, it’s a shame McCarthy didn’t have the stones to test Bisping’s cardio. I’m not convinced Leben has the edge on the ground. Bisping was on the edge of getting into some trouble underneath McCarthy, but Bisping was calm, kept his breathing in check, and didn’t do anything stupid. He countered several attempts to get his arm, showed great octagon-awareness, and got back to his feet.
What’s great about this fight, is for each fighter, this is really who they be fighting right now. Probably 2 wins away from a title shot, but puts some distance between the winner and the rest of the contenders.
Looking forward to June, for sure.
This card is going to be amazing! It’s ridiculously stacked with talent, and as much as I dislike Hughes I have an endless respect for him taking another big fight on short notice. Bisping-Leben should be nothing short of a standup war, and even the undercard is solid with Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites in there. NICE
This event went from Crapp to Awesome quickly. Liddell getting hurt was the best thing to happen to this event.
Its not that big of a deal that hughes is taking this fight on short notice because he doesnt train anywhere as hard as most fighters so the lack of preperation time is going to be the same as normal for Hughes. He undertrained his whole career!
I will be happy to pay $5 dollars for this card
John,
Please tell me you are getting this fight with a group of friends. If not, where the hell are you paying only $5?
John, go to any bar showing the fight, order a couple of beers and watch the fight. I usually pay $25 for dinner and a couple of drinks. It’s the best night of the month.
I hope Leban wins but it wouldn’t surprise me if Bisping comes out on top. He’s looked good lately. Regardless of who wins, I’ll enjoy the fight because I love to see strikers go at it.
I’m suddenly right pumped about this event!
LMAO $5……… I hope u all know I meant to write $45!!!! lol
Leben Vs. Bisping, we’ll see what Bisping is made of now!!
Hughes Vs Alves, jigga please! Hughes is gonna sub that fool!
Irvin Vs. Evans, I think Evans’s ground game will prevail.
Vera Vs. Werdum, Vera should win.
Swick vs. Davis, night night Swick.
Peace!
this should be very good stand up battle
I hate Leben…just kidding Adam…peace.
can’t wait! this card has shaped up nicely.
LEBEN all the way.
interesting matchup thats for sure
not a fan of bisbing after ufc75 but think he’s a little better at everything than leben and should get a tko late in the fight after a war..
I want to see Thiago Silva vs Rashad Evans.. That would be a bada$$ fight.
This card is SICK!! I can not wait! I like bisping in this match just because he is the more well rounded fighter i think
Excellent card. Bisping vs.Leben and Hughes vs. Silva - great match-ups.
Leben could jump into a title shot with a win, and Bisping would bump down to UFN tv cards. Then Leben would make it past half a Round 1, vs Spider. To make it fair, Leben vs. Silva, then Silva vs. Bisping on the same night, lol. Of course if its in England, Bisping is there. No other fighter gets as many hometown preference. For the summer, they should schedule Houston vs. Hamill…WAR!!!
Haha Leben won’t get a title shot. Hope Bisping doesn’t either. Would hope that Silva beats Okami, GSP beats Fitch, and we might have a superfight.
Vera will KTFO Werdum
I really can’t stand leben but he is a good gatekeeper for the middleweight division. If Bisping beats Leben (and I think he will) I hope he finally stops getting hated on so much. I think he is a top tier fighter. If Leben brutally KOs him like everyone seems to think he will, I will convert.
I concur. Though i think Bisping is one of the smartest in the business and will lay Leben out. Leben needs to keep his dam chin down!
I hate both of these guys. Only bright spot is that I know one of them is gonna get pummeled by silva.
I think they’re both pretty far from a fight with Silva.
Good card though. I’m a little surprised that Hughes took this fight. I’d have thought that he’d want his next fight to be against Serra, so that he doesn’t burn out and then maybe fight Kos. Props to him though. He probably just still loves fighting. Respect!
I’m still a little bummed that Shogun isn’t fighting. Don’t really care much about Liddel, but him fighting Rua is interesting. Rua’s injuries is frustrating.
Why are people applauding Matt Hughes for taking ANOTHER fight on short notice. He was training for a fight then his opponent got injured and then GSP took that fight on short notice. He should get credit 4 taking this though. Then again, i guess he DID have a certain regimen to beat Matt Serra. but yeah
The should call this one UFC 85: Stacked……..oh my bad, they’ve already used that one…….Oh well….
Is this going to be a Free Event?
I think Leben is in the advantage spot here. He has one of the most solid chins in the UFC,period! Bisping lacks real KO power. Even as good as he looked against McCarthy it was a SAVAGE beating of his forearms, nothing else. He landed very few shots to anything that mattered, it was a tko knees to forearms? He could not KO Hammil, had no real power for Rashad, hell even Eric the Red took most of his shots till he ended up biting on his ankle at the end of his first UFC fight. Leben has much heavier hands then anyone he has fougt as well. Nobody has tested Bisping jaw. I do believe Leben is an excellent KO artist and I do believe he will hand Bisping his first KO Loss-Good Night Sweet Count-. When/if it goes to the ground, Leben is very underated. His skill set is far more superior to Bisping. He has been a quest guy for years. Some of the best ground work comes out of there. Leben’s only crappy loss is to Starnes. His other 3 losses are legit, Jason McDonald, Silva, Joe Doerksen. The only guy to put him out was Silva. McDonald got a sub, but his other two losses are decisions. He has huge wins over Mike Swick(KO), Terry MArtin(ko), Luigi Fioravanti, and Cote…Other Then Elvis Sinosic Bisping has beaten a bunch of nobodies(I am not counting the Hamill win). If Bisping wins this fight in good fashion, no bs split decision- then he proves himself as a legit fighter.
To talk about either of these guys fighting Silva is Crazy. Bisping is way to green and would eat it real quick. Lets see how he does against Leben before everyone jumps the gun then he could fight 2 or 3 of the next 4 with winning record then he can get a title shot (MArquardt, Franklin, Henderson, Okami). We saw what Silva did to Leben Strong Chin and All. He owns everyone in the Clnch. His Thai Clench is insanly overpowering. They are just to more Canvas Naps for Silva!
all my buddies think bisping is gonna win, there out of there freakin minds. leben has a way better chin and punches way harder.
I’m not sure if Bisbing has he striking power to put out Leben.
I agree, I think if Bisping wins this then it’ll be via decision. That said I think he is the more skilled striker of the two, and might be able to pick Leben off. Not sure I agree that Leben has a better ground game either, Bisping is pretty solid both on his back and on top.
i think bisping by KO late 3rd round with leben so gassed he cant hold up his hands,blood everywhere and some broken noses major facial damage on both sides,but bisping is much more fluid in his movements and is much faster leben will hit him hard but not often enough to win by KO
and i am american and actually a chris leben fan don’t really care for british but hey it’s the way i see it going, also have a feeling winner gets marquardt or franklin
great card despite no title match. i will be buying if it’s not free.
Distraught Liddell wont make it, i hope this isnt the last chance us from britain (scotland) will get to see the iceman over here???
I disagree with all the hating on bisping, i agreed at light heavy he wasnt a real force but did hold his own. He said it himself though hes a natural 185er and didnt have to cut weight, i thought he looked immense and i think hel be too quick for leben, i also think hed be a fairly good fight for silva……watch this space!!
I think Silva would over power him in the Clench and make him pay double what Franklin paid…Let us see him vs quality competition before even putting him in the same league as Silva. Up till now the only real fighter he has under his belt is Evans. That was a snooze fest on both parts. If he gets by Leben then maybe we could see how he does against Marquadrt or McDonald-then he could fight Franklin or Hendo-Then maybe he could step into the ring with Silva!
Leben will KO Bisping. Oh it will be grand to see the Brit out cold on his back, confused as to where he is. lol
xenophobe
Great fight for bisping before he fights Franklin.
Franklin would eat Bisping for lunch.
Franklin looked like he’d eaten Bisping before he fought Lutter, Nobody noticed cos Lutter was even fatter.
Both looked real heavy in that fight!!
Does everbody think that Bisping will stand and trade with Leben?
Bisping should have a size/poweradvantage over leben and might think about taking Leben down and control him just to wear him out for the first round.
I’m not saying he will but I think it may be a good plan for Bisping.
I think Leben has way more ground game then Bisping. Going to the ground would only benefit Leben. At least standing, though he has no KO power he can use his speed to try to pick him apart, Till Leben catches him with a big right and puts him out for a Canvas Nap…
I hope Leben thinks that Bisbing doesn’t have a ground game, cos he does. He was the only one who could roll with tito in TUF and is very underrated on the ground.
Good Point! But i think if he is quick and explosive he (bisping) should be 2 quick for him. He’s got a longer reach so I expect him to stick and move throwing the odd kick or knee along the way. Certainly if the fight goes the distance bisping will definatley outpoint him…. I just worry about lebens ko power. Bisping should be an experienced enough striker to steer clear of them brick fists though. Bisping also has to be given credit for stepping up so soon after his last fight. WAR THE COUNT!!!!!!!
Leben is going to get smashed to bits.
the other day when chuck pulled out i was thinking wot a waste of money as i already got my tickets now i am realy excited about this card and cmon bispin smash leben to bits another 1st round tko mate
I agree that leben has proved up to now to have the better power in his striking..but if Bisping puts on a bit more upper body strength…which he could easily do (he made the weight cut very easily)then Im guessing his striking would be improved and his KO capability greater…then and only then do I think he can be a huge force in the division
I dont think Bisping will be worried about letting his hands go in this fight and that spells danger for Leben. Against Hamill and Evans he was too cautious about the takedown so hardly even threw any kicks/knees, and thats why he performed badly. I think he’s gonna blast right through that ginger mug!
Bisping TKO round 2! x
this fight will be a war!.
Can’t wait to hear the trash talk from these two guys. This fight will-not go the distance.
This fight is going to light up the boards on this site and others until the moment the fight starts. No hero, no villain. Rather a fight between two polarizing personalities in the sport. As far as I can tell, both of these guys are love ‘em or hate ‘em with the fans with no in-between. Bisping actually gets to face a quality opponent for maybe the second time. And I know a lot of people on here see Leben as not upper tier, but he’s one tough bastard! My money’s on him with experience (due to stiffer competition), stand up, and cardio. I think Bisping better get a good game plan cuz Leben can take it and dish it out. WAR LEBEN!!
mike swick will get killed.. i love it
I hope Leben knocks this tosser out.
its tough to call, lebens the harder hitter n got the better chin. always 1 punch away fro endin the fight!!!but if bisping stays on the outside uses his reach n leg kicks. has good knees in the clinch too. may end up eatin a flyin knee fro the brit!!!
Lebens got the better chin?? How can you get a better chin than a guy who has never been knocked out or even knocked down??
Easy answer. Cuz Bisping’s never fought anyone who could punch a hole in wet paper bag. So we don’t know if he has a chin or not. We KNOW Leben can take some serious punishment.
I’m sorry but before TUF/UFC Bisping fought some real big sluggers. Not good fighters, but real good one punch fighters. I think it was Mark Epstein that hit him with a couple of big bad hay makers, that just bounced off his chin.
I’m not doubting Lebens Iron chin but how can anyone say its any better than Bispings with any certainty or any actual proof?
I would be amazed if he could take half the beating that Leben could take. Everyone in the UFC gives Leben amazing credit for his ability to eat a punch. Guys with solid chins have that reputation. Matt Hammill had the count hurt in th first round, I do believe. With 2 minutes left in round one he catches him with a clean right, cuts him and wobbles him for almost 40 seconds. Then again with 20 seconds left he hits him clean again. Hammil is not a ko finisher, Leben is. When Leben smells blood, Bisping will sleep. That would be one example…
I like it that you guys are saying that one of Leben’s strengths is his ability to take an ass wooping!!
Should all make for a great fight.
Come on the count this hippie paints his toe nails and pisses in peoples bed… thats disgusting…. make him piss his pants!
Go Bisping! Bisping by UnaDecision.
leben is slow and one dimensional, bispings improved stand up will be too much for him.
I can see this being a 2nd or thrd round TKO to bisping.
God I hope Leben pounds this guy out.
i think the only chance for leben to win this fight is if he can take bisping devastating strikes for him to close a distance,then swing to the fence & hoping 1 connect to put bisping out, but in all area of skill i give it to bisping, leben only has a KO power advantage
i like leben dont get me wrong but to me hes a glorified brawler with a ko left and a good chin.i think the author underestimates bispings jj when he says leben will have the advantage on the floor.bisping has the better all round skillset and ill take him to win a decision.
I give both of these dudes a whole lot of credit and I like both of them (although I prefer Leben). How is it though that Leben is able to get people with his stand up? He just seems SO robotic and predictable. That left takes forever to get to the opponent but yet he still gets them over and over again. He seems so slow when watching him. I just don’t get it.
Does anyone else also see it like I do?
I agree with you. I think that it is case of fighters genuinely believing that they have Leben in trouble because they are connecting and hitting him with so many solid punches, and they are certain that he is going to go down any second. I believe in there minds that they have already won the fight and do not expect him to throw any punches. They often find out the hard way he does, and with knockout power. I have always cheered for Leben but being a Brit I always cheer for Bisping (he shouldn’t have won the Hamil fight though).This is the only reason I’ll be rooting for Bisping, but if Leban wins, I’ll be cool with it.
Just been reading all these comments and all they basically say is “leben has gotta solid chin”!!!??!!??!
He is gonna need a solid chin when the count sends him crashing to into the side of the octagon with a flying knee followed up by a flurry of punches!!!!!
There is a lot of hatred for mike bisping coming from across the pond (ie America)………. The thing with
the brits is we are very thick skinned. The more everyone runs their mouth saying they hate him then the better he is gonna be!!!!!!!!
Bisping sucks….Hamilton kicked his ass…..and they gave him the fight….it pisses me off…US kicks ass…
Who ever is saying Bisping is going to pick off Leben and by knockout remember the Swick Leben fight Enuff said also Bisping got dropped by Sinosic…Glad fight is in England Bisping wont have far to go to “Count Sheep”