Chris Leben – image via UFC.com
‘The Crippler’ Chris Leben (22-8) is scheduled to return to the Octagon this December following a one year suspension for failed drug test.
Leben will meet Czech fighter Karlos ‘The Terminator’ Vemola (9-3) at the upcoming UFC 155 event in Vegas.
Promotion officials made the bout official at UFC.com Wednesday evening.
Fan favorite “The Crippler” will grace the Octagon again before 2013 as Chris Leben has verbally agreed to face powerful Brit-based brawler Karlos Vemola at UFC 155. Vemola has finished his opponents in all nine of his wins, with eight of those coming in the first round and five in the first minute.
UFC 155 is expected to take place on December 29, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada at either the MGM Grand Garden Arena or the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
‘The Crippler’ tested positive for banned painkillers (oxycodone and oxymorphone) last November, following a TKO loss to Mark Munoz in the headliner of UFC 138. With the event taking place in England, Zuffa issued the year long suspension to the Hawaiian based fighter. The bout marked the first five-round non-title fight in UFC history. Leben is 1-2 in his last three bouts, with a loss to Munoz in his last match, a 27-second knockout victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132 in July 2011, and a first round TKO loss to Brian Stann at UFC 125 in January 2011.
Vemola was forced to tap this past July at UFC on FUEL TV 4 after French fighter Francis Carmont sunk in a rear-naked choke in the second round. ‘The Terminator’ holds the same record as his opponent over his last five matches as well, going 2-3 in the Octagon. Vemola earned his last victory in May as part of his middleweight debut, submitting Mike Massenzio in the second round at UFC on FOX 3. The Czech’s other appearances include a decision loss to Ronny Markes at UFC on Versus 5, a TKO win over Seth Petruzelli at UFC 122, and a decision defeat at the hands of Jon Madsen at UFC 116.