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UFC 138 Results: Where Did Chris Leben Go Wrong?

Let me be clear, putting me in the Octagon would be like putting Nick Diaz in a spelling bee: Brief, ugly and embarrassing for all. Therefore, it is with no little trepidation that I try to evaluate opportunities for improvement in Chris Leben&rs…

Let me be clear, putting me in the Octagon would be like putting Nick Diaz in a spelling bee: Brief, ugly and embarrassing for all.

Therefore, it is with no little trepidation that I try to evaluate opportunities for improvement in Chris Leben’s UFC 138 performance.

For what it is worth, here is where I think Chris Leben went wrong.

Impatience

Chris went for a guillotine from half guard early in the first round. It is easy to defend a guillotine from half guard and, as Joe Rogan repeatedly said during the fight, guillotines are resource intensive. They wear your arms out.

Rather than go for a finish here, that he could not get, he probably should have worked for full guard where the technique had a higher probability of success.

After wall-walking back to his feet, Chris took Munoz down. Unfortunately, rather than secure a dominant position, Leben took a couple swings while Munoz worked his way back to his feet.

The round saw yet another takedown by Leben but, again, he went for a front choke, trying to finish the fight rather than securing a position on top of Munoz, where he could have done some real damage.

Later in the round, Leben jumped half guard to attempt a guillotine (yes, again) rather than dragging Munoz to the mat and climbing on top of him, or swinging him into the cage and working there. The result was that Munoz ended up on top dropping bombs.

After getting back to his feet, Leben once again got hold of Munoz’s neck and dragged him to the mat. What did he do when he got there? You guessed it; he opted to put the squeeze on Munoz rather than working positional control.

The Crippler could have done more damage, and been fresher himself going into the second round, had he not insisted on trying to finish the fight at every turn.

The second round looked much like a bloody version of the first. Leben worked Munoz to the ground via a neck hold and squeezed like crazy rather than go for side control or mount.

Later, Leben would yet again get a chance at position on Munoz, but, in the attempt to finish via guillotine, Munoz reversed.

In addition to slowing down in the Octagon, Leben should step back and exercise more patience during training. He still flares his elbows and throws wide punches, which are much easier to avoid then more technical shots.

Further, he should fight like the southpaw that he is. He should keep his right hand high for countering his opponent’s jab and circle right more to set up the left.

Chris Leben has two big gifts, an iron chin and finishing power in his hands. Imagine what he could do if he was more technical and not always looking for the quick finish.

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UFC 138 Predictions: Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz

UFC 138 headliners Chris Leben and Mark Munoz will clash today across the pond in England. Both men have made short work of the middleweight division’s intermediate tier of fighters while falling short against it’s elite. The winner o…

The winner of this bout likely returns to the shark tank of the division’s leaders whilst the loser will be on door duty testing newcomers who’d like to come in.

The Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz has bulldozed through his middleweight challenges, going 6-1 in the division, losing a razor thin split decision to recent title contender Yushin Okami.

Munoz captured the NCAA Division 1 wresting championship for the 197-pound weight class back in 2001 while attending Oklahoma State University. His wrestling pedigree ensures a few things: His take downs are a choice weapon; his work ethic is second to none, there is no training like wrestling; his top game will be top notch.

Munoz has pop in his punches and is often of a mind to throw, 45 percent of his victories have come via knockout of TKO.

Chris “The Crippler” Leben, a fan favorite, is likely to oblige Munoz should he choose to stand and trade. Leben has big power in his hands but has used that as a crutch, neglecting other tools at his disposal.

Like Munoz, Leben is on the best run of his career, winning four of his last five including three knockouts, two submissions and one unanimous decision. His lone loss comes at the hands of Brian Stann who cracked The Crippler’s previously granite chin with a knee, crumbling him to the canvass.

Leben bounced back, swatting Wanderlei Silva in less than thirty seconds. Leben has demonstrated some ground skills but primarily chooses to trust the strength of his chin and trade punches with his opponents, counting on being able to hurt them more than they hurt him. This usually leads to Leben lumbering around the ring during the second half of the fight living on an overhand right and a prayer.

Neither man has faced a fourth-round before, and I think this fight may well go there. Be it the third or the fifth, when Leben goes charging in against Munoz he is going to end up on his back feasting at the Five-Ounce Buffet.

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UFC 138 Fight Card: Betting Odds and Predictions

What UFC 138 lacks in title fights, hype and superstars it more than makes up for in stellar matchups and hungry fighters making their UFC debuts. Headlining the fight are sluggers Chris Leben and Mark Munoz.Both men have a “go for it&rdquo…

Both men have a “go for it” attitude and the power to finish.

Other pay-per-view bouts include: Brad Pickett vs. Renan Barao, Thiago Alves vs. Papy Abedi and Cyrille Diabate vs. Anthony Perosh among others.

Free on Facebook you can see bantamweights Chris Cariaso vs. Vaughn Lee, featherweights Michihiro Omigawa vs. Jason Young, heavyweights Rob Broughton vs. Phil De Fries and more.

Here are predictions for every fight.

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UFC 137: Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit Decoded

Dana White, via UFC.com, recently said of former WEC Welterweight Champion, Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit, “I honestly don’t think that people are giving this kid the credit that he deserves.” Condit has bee…

Condit has been called in to replace former Strikeforce Welterweight Champ Nick Diaz in a bout against the best welterweight on earth, George “Rush” St. Pierre.

St. Pierre himself has said that Carlos poses problems that he has not seen before.

Does Carlos Condit belong in the ring with the seemingly unstoppable St. Pierre? How does Condit measure up against the UFC Champion’s most recent competition?

What unique challenges was St. Pierre referring to? We’ll turn to the data at FightMetric.com to get some insight into these questions.

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UFC 137 Fight Card: Jon Fitch to Fight BJ Penn?

Recent twitter posts by top welterweights Jon Fitch and BJ Penn have set the blogosphere ablaze today. Consensus No. 1 contender Jon Fitch has tweeted that he would fight either Diaz or Penn at UFC 137. Fitch, undefeated in his last six fights, has bea…

Recent twitter posts by top welterweights Jon Fitch and BJ Penn have set the blogosphere ablaze today.

Consensus No. 1 contender Jon Fitch has tweeted that he would fight either Diaz or Penn at UFC 137.

Fitch, undefeated in his last six fights, has beaten each and every fighter Dana White has put in front of him except George St. Pierre and BJ Penn.

Fitch fought a heroic but ultimately unsuccessful five-round campaign against the Canadian champion at UFC 87 back in 2008, then fought to a draw with Penn at UFC 127 this past February.

Fitch has been criticized by some for his grinding fighting style, while others feel the UFC has unfairly passed him over for a rematch with St. Pierre.

Penn, who has held UFC championships in the Welterweight and Lightweight division, is known for taking tough fights and actively seeking rematches with those who have beaten or drawn him. Penn has just tweeted “Dana just offered me a deal I can’t refuse.pretty sure I’m still fighting on Oct. 29th.”

Has a rematch between these two fighters been set? Will Fitch face GSP again? Only time will tell.

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UFC 135: What Happened to Rampage Jackson’s Ground Game?

UFC 135 sees the return of Quinton Rampage Jackson to title contention. Much ado has been made over the danger swirling in the hands of the 33-year-old warrior, and for good reason: Jackson has knocked out a lot of fighters.Beneath his vicious gloves h…

Beneath his vicious gloves have fallen the likes of Chuck Liddell, Marvin Eastman, Kevin Randleman, Yuki Ishikawa and Wanderlei Silva. That getting knocked out has since become a hobby of Wanderlei’s, takes nothing away from the proven pop of a Rampaging right hook. As of late, however, the southern slugger, concerned about the possibility of being taken down, has gone skittish, opting to hang back and hope the judges favor him.

So enamored does Jackson seem with the opinion of the judges and the contents of their scorecards, that he has opted to defer to them more and more often: six of his last seven fights have gone to decision. So concerned does Jackson appear with being taken down, that he allowed Matt Hamill to survive to the judge’s decision, a happening that had no business well…happening.

But people, including Rampage himself it seems, have forgotten that Jackson began his career as a decorated wrestler and that four of his first 10 wins came via a variety of submissions. In May of 2000, Jackson took out Marco Bermudez via rear naked choke; in October of that same year he defeated Warren Owsley with an armbar. In April 2001, he beat Rocko Henderson with a kimura at the Gladiator Challenge in California. Two months later he choked out Kenneth Willams.

In light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Rampage faces a striker’s conundrum. Jackson has never faced anyone with the reach of the 24-year-old Jones, which is almost a full foot longer than Jackson’s. Further, Jones has really good takedowns. If Jackson plays it cagey and hangs back, he’s going to find himself right at the end of those long punches. If Jackson commits, he’s likely to be taken to the mat, a place he has gone to great lengths to avoid.

But if Rampage wants to overcome Jones, he needs to beat him to the takedown and grind the young champion to powder on the mat. He needs to suffocate Jones, make him miserable and longing for the end. Jackson needs to show that although Jones has the reach, the youth and the athleticism, he has not the grit and salt needed to defeat Rampage.

It’s been over a decade since Jackson logged a win via submission. If one assumes he’s worked his grappling even one hour a week over that period, then he has booked over 520 hours of training. I have a difficult time picturing Rampage slapping on an armbar or kimura. It just goes against what I know of the man. It is, however, something I’d like to see, and if Rampage is to have any chance against Jones, it might be something I need to see.

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