Bisping vs. Leben is on again
The UFC announced its main event for the upcoming UFC 89 which will take place on October 18th in Birmingham, England. Michael Bisping will return to his homeland to take on the original Ultimate Fighter Chris Leben. The two were scheduled to meet on June 7th as the main event for UFC 85. However, Leben was forced inside another type of cage and the bout was canceled.
Leben turned himself into authorities and served eleven days in a Portland, Oregon jail for a violation of his probation which stemmed from a 2005 DUI. Leben served the remaining 24 days of his 35 day sentence on home detention. But it was not the first time Leben found himself behind bars. Leben wore an orange jumpsuit in the past for the same type of violation. Nevertheless, the UFC has overlooked his run-ins with the police and granted him another main event billing.
The fight will be Bisping’s third bout since dropping down to the middleweight division. His only professional loss came in his last light heavyweight fight against Rashad Evans. Leben has also beaten two straight opponents, but his 18-4 overall record is not quite as impressive as Bisping’s.
Even though Bisping did not square off against Leben, he did step into the octagon on June 7th and wound up dismantling Jason Day. He lost his main event billing but will have it back when he and Leben finally do battle. And, barring any prison brawls, Leben will return to action for the first time in over seven months.
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