UFC heavyweight prospect Shane Carwin (10-0) TKO'd Brit "Old Skool" Neil Wain (4-1) by referee stoppage at 1:31 of the first round as Carwin drilled Wain with punches from the mount in Birmingham Saturday night. Both fighters were throwing big from the opening bell; but, Carwin showed a second dimension as he clinched, took Wain down, and passed from side control to full mount to deliver the fight-ending beatdown. "I was upset with myself when I got hit and that was about it," said Carwin after the win.  "As soon as he hit me, I got pissed; and, it just went off from there." Both fighters were undefeated coming into the fight; but, Carwin's previous opposition shows considerably more depth.  Now 2-0 in the Octagon, Carwin will look for bigger fights in the UFC's re-building heavyweight division. ...

All UFC 89 fighters made their weight today at the NIA for Saturday's card in Birmingham. "Count" Michael Bisping (16-1) 185 pounds v "Crippler" Chris Leben (18-4) 186 pounds "I'm glad you guys let me into your country," main event fighter Leben said at Thursday's press conference.  "I was a little worried on the plane." Leben was originally scheduled to fight Bisping in London 7 June, but opted to put to rest legal issues in Oregon stemming from an earlier DUI arrest to ensure a legal UK visa. But, the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of Brit Bisping, who told the press, "I am on a quest.  Losing this fight for me is not an option." Leben, wearing tight cornrows, chided his opponent, saying, "It seems to me that, when Michael Bisping fights, self-preservation is top on his list." A brawl would certainly benefit Leben.  Bisping's stand-up style is a bit more circle-and-poke, while Leben is happy to plant and throw bombs. ...

Tuesday the UFC announced three new fights for UFC 89 in Birmingham 18 October. Fighters.com's seventh-ranked light heavyweight "African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) will shake his big right fist across the Octagon at "Banha" Luis Arthur Cane (8-1). Welterweight "Outlaw" Dan Hardy (19-6) draws a tough Octagon premier in front of his countrymen versus Akihiro Gono (28-12-7). Undefeated heavyweights Shane Carwin (9-0) and Neil Wain (4-0) will try to deal the other their first professional loss. ...