You can throw Chris Leben’s name into the sweepstakes for a shot at Anderson Silva and the UFC middleweight title.
Coming off a first-round knockout victory over MMA legend Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132, Leben has positioned himself to climb back into the contender’s picture with a win over Mark Munoz this Saturday night at UFC 138.
“It was five years ago that I fought Anderson Silva, and I believe I’ve changed immensely. I don’t know how much he’s progressed,” Leben told Bobby Cavian of StudioMMA.
“I would love to get that shot again, and personally, I’m getting older,” he said. “I’ve been in this sport long enough that I think if I win this fight in decisive fashion, people should be able to go, ‘OK, look, he’s won five of his last six fights. We know he was sick going into the [Brian] Stann fight, but he took it anyways. He didn’t pull out. Give him a shot.'”
Leben is notorious for rolling out the welcome wagon for Silva in June 2006.
“The Spider” made quick work of The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 alumni, Leben, in the bout that catapulted his career toward the UFC title and pound-for-pound supremacy.
Other than a minor hiccup against Stann, Leben has impressed as of late, with victories over Silva, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Aaron Simpson and Jay Silva.
A win over Munoz would be huge in climbing his way back up the middleweight ladder, but the line for a title shot remains crowded.
UFC 138 is set to take place at LG Arena in Birmingham, England. Leben and Munoz will serve as the main event for the fight card, which will air free on Spike TV.
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