Author: Kyle Symes

UFC 138 Fight Card: Will a Win Make Chris Leben a Contender?

Chris Leben is one of the more well-known fighters in the UFC. The recognizable red hair coupled with the aggressive, swing-for-the-fences style have made him a fan favorite since his days on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.On Saturday, Leben …

Chris Leben is one of the more well-known fighters in the UFC. The recognizable red hair coupled with the aggressive, swing-for-the-fences style have made him a fan favorite since his days on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.

On Saturday, Leben will be looking to make his name bigger at the expense of Mark Munoz. The two are set to square off in the main event of UFC 138.

Leben currently resides in the top-10 middleweight list for any MMA fan, but would a win over Munoz put Chris “in the mix”?

Looking at Leben’s past four fights, you can see that he sits on an impressive 3-1 record. Even more impressive is that his fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama was only two weeks removed from his bout against Aaron Simpson.

For his efforts Leben received a Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night awards between the two fights. He also earned a shot at rising star Brian Stann.

Stann demolished Leben in their bout and many were left wondering where this loss left “the Crippler.” When news broke that Leben was sick, some fans believed they had found their reasoning behind his lethargic performance.

Leben rebounded from his loss by knocking Wanderlei Silva out in just 27 seconds.

I’m going to discredit the Silva win by believing Wanderlei has no chin left. Whether it was an off night or he simply “got caught,” Wanderlei looked nothing like “the Axe Murderer” fans have come to love.

If Leben can pull off an impressive victory against Munoz, it will no doubt launch him into the top-five middleweights. However, he shouldn’t be in line to receive a title shot, especially given how he handled Anderson Silva in their first bout.

Leben needs not only an impressive win, but he will need another victory over a Vitor Belfort or a Chael Sonnen. These two men, along with a possible rematch against Stann, could provide Leben with enough momentum to get the title shot he’s been talking about.

A match against Belfort would show fans if Leben has improved his striking enough to hang with Anderson and a matchup against Sonnen would provide Leben with a victory over the consensus No. 2 middleweight in the world.

A second fight with Stann would give Leben the ability to put that god-awful performance at UFC 125 behind him. Even though Stann recently lost, he’s still regarded as a top-five middleweight.

Besides the matchups, the best reason Leben should have hope for a title shot with a win is Anderson Silva—not because Leben is better, but because Silva seems content on avoiding a rematch with Chael Sonnen.

With Sonnen out of the title picture, the door is wide open for new challengers to grab Silva’s attention. Leben could see his stock rise higher than it should simply because Silva (or at least his management) believe there aren’t a lot of title challengers out there.

He has his work cut out for him with “the Philipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz, but if he manages to escape England with a win, look for Leben to make a title run in 2012.

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UFC Champ Jon Jones Might Be the Michael Jordan of MMA

In a recent article for Rolling Stone, Jones is credited with being not only the best fighter of today, but will end up being the best of all-time.”The September victory cemented Jones’ status as the most brutal practitioner of precision fury…

In a recent article for Rolling Stone, Jones is credited with being not only the best fighter of today, but will end up being the best of all-time.

“The September victory cemented Jones’ status as the most brutal practitioner of precision fury in the UFC. In fact, Jones may be the best fighter the world of mixed martial arts has ever seen.”

The article credits Urijah Faber with saying that he could become “the Michael Jordan of MMA.” When told of Faber’s high praise, Jones was taken aback.

“I don’t really know what to say to that…I don’t want to sound cocky, but I do hold myself in high regard.”

Jon Jones has reason to think highly of himself. He’s risen from the ranks of prospect to UFC champion in less than a year. He is the UFC’s youngest champion and just bought a customized Bentley to get him from point A to point B.

Oh, and he’s only 23 years old.

Jones has accomplished a lot which has led many to proclaim Jones as the best in MMA today.

Even Dana White charmed in by saying he believes Jones could be “one of the best ever.”

Jones’ career is still in its infancy, but he certainly has made an impact that few will forget. He’s dominated two former champions and has virtually ran through his competition up to this point.

Jones will look to continue to cement his legacy when he takes on Lyoto Machida at UFC 140.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 137 Results: 10 Biggest Headlines Coming out of Vegas

UFC 137 looked to be a lackluster card on paper, but it produced some very interesting headlines.We saw some decisive decision victories, a questionable 10-8 round, a lightweight cementing his place and an explosive finish by a man named “Bart.”The sto…

UFC 137 looked to be a lackluster card on paper, but it produced some very interesting headlines.

We saw some decisive decision victories, a questionable 10-8 round, a lightweight cementing his place and an explosive finish by a man named “Bart.”

The storylines coming out of UFC 137 go much further than the final decision.

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The 10 Ugliest Fighters in MMA

Glitz and glamour aren’t words typically associated with MMA fighters.Fighters are typically more concerned with punching and kicking than getting haircuts or shaving.Whether it’s a less than impressive physique or some weird facial features, these men…

Glitz and glamour aren’t words typically associated with MMA fighters.

Fighters are typically more concerned with punching and kicking than getting haircuts or shaving.

Whether it’s a less than impressive physique or some weird facial features, these men have to be classified as the ugliest in MMA.

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Bisping vs. Miller: Does Winner of Ultimate Fighter Coaches Deserve Title Shot?

Jason “Mayhem” Miller will be making his much anticipated return to the UFC on Dec. 3rd against British bad boy Michael “The Count” Bisping.The matchup is interesting enough as it is, but fans will have the opportunity to watch the two men promote thei…

Jason “Mayhem” Miller will be making his much anticipated return to the UFC on Dec. 3rd against British bad boy Michael “The Count” Bisping.

The matchup is interesting enough as it is, but fans will have the opportunity to watch the two men promote their match up every week on The Ultimate Fighter Season 14.

Although both men are focused on facing each other, they both have come out and put their two cents in about facing Anderson Silva.

But does either man really need to concern themselves with facing “The Spider”?

The answer is an emphatic “no.”

For Miller, it’s easy to make a case as to why he shouldn’t fight for the title should he win. For one, it’s his first bout in the UFC since his loss to GSP in 2005. Jake Shields received a title shot after his first victory in the UFC, but Shields has a way more impressive resume.

Miller’s last four bouts include a no-contest, a loss to Jake Shields, and wins against Tim Stout and Kazushi Sakuraba. You’ll have to excuse the crickets.

He certainly has the personality to make people believe he deserves a title shot, but the fact remains that Miller needs to cause some more “Mayhem” in the UFC middleweight division before he gets a title shot.

Across the pond, Michael Bisping believes he should be fighting for a world title after getting past Miller.

Bisping must’ve had a few too many pints at the ole pub if he thinks he deserves a title shot.

Looking at Bisping’s past four fights, he has two decision victories, a decision loss to Wanderlei Silva, and a TKO win against Jorge Rivera.

The Rivera fight was marred in controversy and saw Bisping become public enemy No. 1. Nothing really happened to Bisping and the UFC would have to work overtime to repair his image with UFC fans.

Another one of his wins that should be discredited is the Yoshihiro Akiyama match. Akiyama has had very limited success at 185 and has since moved down to welterweight. So, realistically, Bisping has a win over a man fighting up a weight class.

His other wins mean virtually nothing considering the rankings of Dan Miller and Jorge Rivera.

The final point I’ll make about Bisping ism when he’s faced the upper echelon of competition, he’s faltered. He was dropped by Dan Henderson and lost against Rashad Evans.

Neither man deserves a title shot following their fight in December. A win would certainly help the cause for either fighters, but both Bisping and Miller are at least two or three fights away from a title shot.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: Pros and Cons of 5-Round Non-Title Fights

At UFC 138 fans will witness history being made in the Octagon. For the first time ever, a UFC non-title fight will be five rounds.It will become the standard for all non-title main events from here on out. While this announcement was met with initial …

At UFC 138 fans will witness history being made in the Octagon. For the first time ever, a UFC non-title fight will be five rounds.

It will become the standard for all non-title main events from here on out. While this announcement was met with initial praise from fans, now that we’ve had time to think about it, a five round fight that doesn’t involve a belt isn’t always a good thing.

As with anything their is in life, there are pros and cons to each choice.

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