Middleweight fighter, Chris ‘The Crippler’ Leben (22-8) has found himself in trouble following a failed drug test following his loss to Mark Munoz at UFC 138 earlier this month.
Leben tested positive for Oxycodone and Oxymorphone, both banned prescription painkillers.
In a statement released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship today (Nov. 28, 2011), and due to the lack of a regulatory body for mixed martial arts in England, the promotion opted to suspend Leben for one year.
Here is the full article from UFC.com
Zuffa, LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (“the UFC®”), today released information stating that middleweight fighter Chris Leben tested positive for Oxycodone and Oxymorphone following his Nov. 5 loss to Mark Munoz in the main event of UFC® 138 in Birmingham, England.
As a result of the positive test, Leben will be suspended from fighting for one (1) year.
“I like Chris and I want him to do well, but based on his actions, he’s been suspended for one year,” UFC President Dana White said. “If he needs professional help, we are going to be there for him. We want to see him succeed not only in the Octagon, but in his personal life.”
“I would like to make it known that I fully accept this suspension and apologize for embarrassing the UFC, my friends and family, and sport of mixed martial arts,” Leben said. “I’m learning that I’m my own worst enemy sometimes. I can’t succeed in the Octagon or in life behaving this way. I’ve got to make some real changes over the next year and I’m going to focus on getting my life and career back on track. Again, I’m sorry to the UFC and fans that’ve supported me since my days on The Ultimate Fighter.”
The remaining 19 fighters on the UFC® 138 card all passed their post fight drug tests.
This is the second time Leben has failed a post fight drug test, having tested positive for steroid use following his loss to Michael Bisping in 2008 back at UFC 89. Coincidentally that event took place in Birmingham, England as well.