Author: Joseph Zucker

UFC 155 Fight Card: Loss to Derek Brunson Should Be Chris Leben’s Last in UFC

It’s time that Chris Leben’s time in UFC drew to a close.Upon his return to the Octagon, Leben lost a unanimous decision to Derek Brunson at UFC 155. The judges scored it 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Brunson.It was Brunson’s first fight in UFC an…

It’s time that Chris Leben‘s time in UFC drew to a close.

Upon his return to the Octagon, Leben lost a unanimous decision to Derek Brunson at UFC 155. The judges scored it 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Brunson.

It was Brunson‘s first fight in UFC and Leben‘s first in over a year after his drug suspension.

He might have not had the advantage of being able to plan much for Brunson, considering he was a last-minute replacement, but Brunson wasn’t the most intimidating of opposition. He had lost his last two fights before debuting in UFC.

Leben was outwrestled by Brunson in what will have to be remembered as one of the most disappointing fights on the card. He has dazzled crowds in the Octagon for years. In his prime, Leben was one of the most exciting fighters in UFC. His fights were guaranteed to be remembered by fans.

Leben has been around UFC for quite a while now. His first fight with the company was back in 2005 at the finale of The Ultimate Fighter. When you throw in his previous experience, he’s been in MMA for a decade.

Ten years might not be much for some competitors, but for Leben it probably feels like twice that amount.

However, during his time in UFC and MMA in general, he’s managed to put a ton of mileage on his body. Then you have to throw in the damage that drugs and alcohol have done to his body.

When you add it all up, you have to wonder what the future holds for him.

Leben has now lost his last two fights and three of his last four. Despite his long layoff, Leben was almost the consensus favorite to defeat Brunson.

He looked very poor at times during the fight. The action between the two was so bad at times that the crowed resorted to booing the competitors.

Ring rust might be used to defend the loss for Leben. To an extent, it makes quite a bit of sense. It would be hard for any fighter to go a year without a fight to then come back and do well.

But you also have to look at Brunson‘s record and the nerves he was carrying into his UFC debut.

The tank might not be completely empty for Leben, but there’s no sense in continuing what looks to be a downward slide.

He may not have been the biggest name in the company, but he’s likely made enough money to live pretty well. Leben could also likely have a nice career outside the Octagon.

Leben has made a career out of taking a ton of punishment. That’s not the kind of strategy that lends itself to a long career. The longer he fights continuing this way, it’s only going to get worse.

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BJ Penn Next Fight: Fighter Ruins Legacy Continuing Career in Octagon

B.J. Penn looked absolutely spent Saturday night.Simply saying he lost to Rory MacDonald at UFC on FOX 5 doesn’t do justice to how much MacDonald dominated the fight. Two of the judges scored the fight 30-26 with the third a little closer at 30-27.Figh…

B.J. Penn looked absolutely spent Saturday night.

Simply saying he lost to Rory MacDonald at UFC on FOX 5 doesn’t do justice to how much MacDonald dominated the fight. Two of the judges scored the fight 30-26 with the third a little closer at 30-27.

FightMetric had MacDonald scoring 116 signature strikes to Penn’s 24. In terms of percentages, it came out to 57 percent for MacDonald and a paltry 24 percent for Penn.

At one point, MacDonald dropped his hands and simply taunted his opponent. It’s the ultimate sign of disrespect, but it’s also very telling of Penn’s present ability in the Octagon.

The fight might not have been in the weight class in which Penn has excelled in the past, but it doesn’t change the fact he looked like he had nothing left in the tank.

Penn has “retired” before only to return from hiatus, but this time he should make it official.

Even UFC President Dana White put in his two cents regarding Penn’s future. He told ESPN:

I would love to see BJ Penn retire. I really do love the guy. All the good, the bad, the ugly we’ve been through over the last 13 years—I care about him. He’s got money. He’s got a family that loves him. He’s got a beautiful wife, kids, nothing left to prove. I would like to see BJ ride off into the sunset.

White hit the nail right on the head when he said that Penn has nothing to prove anymore. He career exploits already make him worthy of the UFC Hall of Fame. Nothing he does from now on will change that.

The longer he prolongs his career, however, the further he gets from when he was one of the best fighters in the world. He can’t do anything from now that will change how good he was, but it can alter his legacy. The only place left to go is down at this point.

Brett Favre is one of the greatest quarterbacks in history, but his career was irrevocably damaged by his waffling on whether or not he would return and subsequent stints with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings.

Mike Tyson hung on way too long and was knocked out by Lennox Lewis, Danny Williams and Kevin McBride. The days of “Iron Mike” are a mere afterthought to his biting Evander Holyfield’s ear and his talking of fading into “Bolivian.”

Fighters especially have a hard time calling it quits.

Whether it’s boxing or MMA, fights can turn with one punch. That’s the attitude that many fighters have. Although their ability is diminished, they firmly believe that they can end a fight with the right opening.

As much as fans might love Penn, they wouldn’t enjoy another fight in which he was thoroughly outclassed again. It leaves another sour image on to the end of his legacy.

Penn has had one of the more illustrious careers in the history of UFC. Now’s not the time to go and mess it all up.

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