Somebody over at Icon knows what they’re doing. This mini-documentary on Chris Leben promises to be not only entertaining, but also very well done and effective at driving up interest in his bout with Michael Bisping at UFC 89.
On a related note, am I the only one who thinks that body surfing next to cliffs with sharks in the water is a bad idea for a pro athlete? Imagine Leben getting hurt and then trying to explain that one to Dana White.
Clear your schedules for August 9th, people. Like UFC 84, the three headlining bouts at “Seek and Destroy” are worth the cost of admission and the rest is just gravy. So, GSP/Fitch, Lesnar/Herring, and Florian/Huerta…who ya got?
Sort of related:The UFC has confirmed what most of us already knew — Michael Bisping and Chris Leben will meet at UFC 89, which will be held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, on October 9th.
Drop whatever it is you’re pretending to do and watch this highlight reel (props: KingAtRock), which covers the year’s best knockouts from the UFC and EliteXC, starring Kala Kolohe Hose, Wilson Gouveia, Tim Boetsch, Chris Leben, Brett Rogers, Yves Edwards, and Kimbo Slice.
Also: If you need proof of Dana White’s rumored iron-pumping prowess, check out the wacky video after the jump.
Skip to 3:46 if for some reason you find The Garv unbearably annoying.
(’These walls are funny. First you hate ‘em, then you get used to ‘em…’)
Chris Leben’s time in jail may have cost him a big time bout with Michael Bisping, but it does seem to have forced him to reflect on the state of his life. It also gave him the opportunity to choke out a convicted felon. Which is, you know, good to have on your resume.
He tells the story to MMA Weekly, describing what happened when his attempts to train in jail drew the curiosity of fellow inmates, who asked Leben to teach them a choke.
“I told the guys it’s a blood choke, so you don’t have to squeeze hard,†he said. “So I was just kind of choking him with one arm while he’s standing up. And I told him just tap when you start to feel like you’re going to pass out. Well, he didn’t tap, and at the time I’m going wow, this guy’s pretty tough, I’m surprised he hasn’t tapped yet. He just drops to the floor in the cell.
“Now I’m standing there with 20 prisoners around and they’re freaking out. This guy’s laying there, snoring like crazy. I’m like ‘it’s all right, it’s all right,’ then I realize they have cameras in here. I’ve just choked this guy out in jail – I could get in trouble for this. I kept telling them, ‘he’s fine, he’s fine,’ and it took this guy a minute to wake up. Finally he woke up and we had a laugh, and luckily I didn’t get in any trouble for it. That was beginning and the ending of my inmate coaching career.â€
Two things here: 1) That’s awesome, and 2) The moment where Chris chokes out an inmate and then thinks it through long enough to realize that it was probably a bad idea is, I’m going to say, emblematic of the kind of approach to life that landed him there in the first place.
To his credit, Leben seems to have enough self-awareness to admit that:
“I’m more or less someone who’s got a few issues. It made me realize I should have just taken care of it. You’ve got 150 students who want to know where you’re at; you’ve got a top-level fight you’re missing. You need to be taking care of yourself. It gave me a lot of time to evaluate my life.â€
Does this mean no more ‘Chris Leben gets drunk and does something ill-advised‘ videos on the internet? Man, I hope not. Then I’d just have to wait for that prison choke out video, which, if I know the internet like I think I do, should be making the rounds any minute now.
It is being reported by reliable sources that Chris Leben has been sentenced to 35 days in jail after recently turning himself in to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office for a probation violation. Leben expected to simply turn himself in and be out of jail by now, with plenty of time to train for his [...]
MMAmania.com is reporting that Chris Leben has been sentenced to a jail stint that may jeopardize his next scheduled bout:
…middleweight fighter Chris Leben was today sentenced to 35 days in jail. No other details were available at this time.
As explained by T. Jay Thompson, a friend of Leben’s, the UFC contender turned himself in to [...]
MMAmania.com just learned that middleweight fighter Chris Leben was today sentenced to 35 days in jail and will be released on May 27, 2008 (he gets credit for time already served), which would give him only 12 days until his scheduled showdown with Michael Bisping at UFC 85: “Bedlam” at the O2 Arena in London, England, on June 7.
It was apparently too close for comfort, forcing to the promotion to scrap the bout, according to WrestlingObserver.com.
No replacement for Leben is known at this time.
“The Crippler” turned himself in to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office in Portland, Oregon, on April 30 because of an old Driving Under the Influence (DUI) probation violation. He did so to obtain a travel visa overseas, but it appears that things did not work out according to plan.
Neither Leben nor the UFC have issued statements at this time. Stay tuned for more details.
“The fight [with Chris Leben at UFC 85] was offered to me the day after I fought Charles McCarthy [at UFC 83]. There wasn’t a single moment of hesitation from me. Not a single breath. Chris has put himself back into the mix at middleweight and if I want to go for the title then I need to beat guys like him. Chris has beaten a lot of good guys. 18-4 is a good record in MMA. He’s a colourful character and I like him…he reminds me of myself in some ways. He likes to fight and he’s a real person. Leben’s tough, has got heavy hands and swings hard and he’s skilled on the ground despite not being known for that. It might come down to who’s got the better chin out of both of us, but it could be more a case of who’s technically better. I think I’m technically better than Chris Leben. He’s quite a brawler, he’ll take a couple of shots on the way in to land one of his own. He chases people round a little bit so I think fireworks are pretty much guaranteed.â€
Michael “The Count” Bisping (15-1) shares his thoughts (and respect) for Chris “The Crippler” Leben (18-4) in anticipation of their middleweight contest at UFC 85: Bedlam on June 7.
— James Irvin will indeed fight Rashad Evans, replacing an injured Chuck Liddell.
— The main event will feature Michael Bisping taking on Chris Leben. (Thanks for listening, guys!)
— UFC 85 will possibly be broadcast on SpikeTV. That would be enough to appease American fans — with four solid matchups on the main card (including Vera/Werdum and Davis/Swick), it’ll be at least as entertaining as an “Ultimate Fight Night” — but a show without a true big-name headliner could potentially slow the UFC’s momentum in the U.K.
We’ll let you know when any of that is formally announced.
Somewhat related: You think seven weeks is a short layover for Michael Bisping? Well, Rich Clementi is only getting five before his next fight. “No Love,” who just scored a hard-fought split-decision victory over Sam Stout on the undercard of UFC 83, has been booked to replace an injured Rob Emerson in a lightweight match against Terry Etim at UFC 84 (May 24th, Las Vegas). Clementi has won his last three UFC bouts, including submission victories over Melvin Guillard and Anthony Johnson, while Etim took his first career loss via unanimous decision against Gleison Tibau at UFC 75.
