Former UFC middleweight contender Chris Leben ended his combat sports career on a high last night.
‘The Crippler’ joined Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in 2019 and has found success with the promotion. He picked up wins over Phil Baroni and Justin Baesman before losing to Dakota Cochrane.
Henry was a tough assignment on paper. Since joining BKFC he has looked flawless, beating Brandon Marlborough and Jason Fann in style. The 31-year-old was hoping to get the biggest win of this combat sports career against Leben.
On Friday night, Leben put on a vintage performance against Quentin Henry. Both men came flying out and exchanged punches. The fight went to the clinch position where Leben let off a flurry of uppercuts. As the referee stepped in the separate, Henry fell to the ground holding his eye.
Replays showed that Leben caught Henry with a clean shot. After some time to recover Henry was back in the fight but not for long. Leben continued to pour it on. Ultimately it was a left hand that put Henry down again, only this time he was unable to beat the referee’s count.
CHRIS LEBEN GOES OUT ON TOP!!!
He lands a MASSIVE two-punch KO in the final fight of his storied career.
#KnuckleMania #BKFC pic.twitter.com/fvTii7ebSw
— BroBible (@BroBible) February 6, 2021
Post-fight, Leben confirmed his retirement from fighting, he said.
“What a f**king way to finish a career right there. I wanted somebody that was going to swing like a motherf**ker at me and I knew Quentin was going to do that. That’s how I wanted to finish my career. Thank you to Quentin and thank you to BKFC for that opportunity.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)
The 40-year-old MMA veteran will be remembered as one of the gamest fighters in history. Leben holds several high-profile wins over the likes of Mike Swick, Patrick Cote and Wanderlei Silva. ‘The Crippler’ has also mixed it with some of the best middleweight fighters the UFC has seen. Leben famously introduced 185lb legend Anderson Silva to the UFC. He has also stood in the Octagon with Michael Bisping, Brian Stann, Mark Munhoz, Derek Brunson and Uriah Hall.
What is your favourite Chris Leben fight?