Issue 080

October 2011

He might not be one of the most prolific cast members of The Ultimate Fighter season one but he is one of the best loved. Here’s what keeps ‘The Crippler’ slugging hard and moving forward

Best known for hard-fought wins that have him battered, bruised and exhaustedly stumbling around the Octagon post-win, Chris Leben’s 120% effort on every fight night has secured the UFC middleweight brawler as a staunch fan favorite.

Ranked fourth amongst all UFC fighters for most strikes landed with 1,489 – behind only Georges St Pierre, Jon Fitch and BJ Penn from first to third – 31-year-old Leben has always been a punches-in-bunches believer. While his combinations might be unconventional they’ve remained effective throughout his career: the Oregonian has averaged one (T)KO win every 2.4 fights.

Although his 14-1 ascent to The Ultimate Fighter house in 2005 was highly impressive, and hinted at the brawler’s potential, a post-show five-fight win streak preceded a roller coaster of results. Great come-from-behind victories over stand-up warhorse Terry Martin (knockout with one minute left in round three, UFC Fight Night 11) and fist-happy judoka Yoshihiro Akiyama (triangle win at 4:40 of the third round, UFC 116) have been countered by jail time in 2008 and a positive steroid test later that same year. 

‘The Crippler’ was even within spitting distance of a title shot before he met the knees of a debuting Anderson Silva at UFC Fight Night 5 in 2006. Prior to the fight, Leben made the face palm-inducing promise to “send Silva back to Japan where the competition is a little easier.” Unfortunately, Leben was sent packing via TKO at 0:49 of the first round – a win so impressive it catapulted Silva to an immediate middleweight title fight.

Leben, the first-ever WEC middleweight champ, spent the first five years of his career training with Matt Lindland, Chael Sonnen and Randy Couture at Team Quest in Gresham, Oregon, until 2007 when he moved to Hawaii to become an instructor before opening his own gym in Oahu where he now resides.

GRANITE CHIN

Be it berserker genetics, uneven brain chemistry or his tree-trunk neck, Chris Leben is a hard man to put to sleep. He’s only ever been stopped due to strikes twice in his career, once via Anderson Silva’s knees and the other upon meeting war hero Brian Stann’s powerful hands (UFC 125) – after hours of dehydrated vomiting cued by a post-weight cut feast. 

HEAVY HANDS

There’s never been any question about Chris Leben’s gameplan: walk forward, hit hard. Though the Hawaii-based banger has shown more patience in recent years, his modus operandi is still the same. Leben’s unleashed his explosive fists for 14 strike stoppages over names like Wanderlei Silva, Mike Swick and Jorge Santiago.

HEART

Leben is never one to cry uncle. Not when hard-hitting Japanese judoka Yoshihiro Akiyama nearly had him out on his feet (UFC 116), and he went to sleep rather than tap to a Jake Rosholt arm triangle in front of his home-state crowd (UFC 102). Leben’s body will stop before he does – and that goes for his multi-fight years too. Long before he pulled off two wins in two weeks in mid 2010, The Crippler fought seven times in 2003, five times in 2004 and another five times in 2006. Most pugilists manage three.

2005

After going 14-1 on the independent circuit, Leben appears on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. He loses to both Josh Koscheck and Kenny Florian on the show but KO’s Jason Thacker at the series finale.

2006

Is the unfortunate victim of future 185lb kingpin Anderson Silva’s UFC debut at Ultimate Fight Night 5. He’s knocked out for the first time in his career, inside the first minute of round one.

2008

Main events UFC 89 in Birmingham, England, opposite Michael Bisping. He’s outpointed by ‘The Count’ and later tests positive for steroids.

2010

After picking up his first win for two years against Jay Silva in January he pulls off two victories a fortnight apart. First a TKO at the TUF 11 Finale then a last-ditch triangle choke of Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116.

2011

Suffers only the second knockout loss of his career at the hands of Brian Stann at UFC 125, but follows it up with a 27-second stoppage of Wanderlei Silva in July.

NEED TO KNOW

NAME Chris Leben

AGE 31

STARTED 2002 

DIVISION Middleweight

STYLE BRAWLER

Based Hawaii, US

RECORD 26-7

14 (T)KOs (53.85%)

6 Subs (23.08%)

6 Decisions (23.08%)