Washed up, bum, overrated, gatekeeper…
When asked to describe the present day Chris Leben, these are the terms that are generally being thrown around, but are they fair assumptions of where the “Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 alumnus is at in his career?
Since entering the UFC in April 2005, Leben has been quite a character. His trademark has always been his hair, which he usually dyes blood-red before every fight.
Along with the red hair, fans have grown accustomed to seeing “The Crippler” adorning black toenail polish and a plethora of interesting tattoos. Still, you can never judge a book by its cover.
Just when you think you have him figured out, Leben is the type of individual who enters a sold out arena to RHCP’s “Roller Coaster of Love” or Gary Jules’ “Mad World.”
He is a unique individual, and his time in MMA has been invaluable.
Regardless of his troubled past, people have always respected Leben as a fighter. Sure, his brawling style has hampered his progression, but it isn’t just about world titles and rankings when dissecting the career of Chris Leben.
He fights solely for the fans. When Leben steps into the octagon, he always comes with the mindset of either knocking someone out or getting knocked out. This same berserker-like mentality has been tied to MMA legend Wanderlei Silva, who Leben knocked out at UFC 132.
Leben may never be a world champion or even a highly ranked middleweight, but what’s wrong with that?
He’s still an exciting fighter and one of the tougher guys in the entire middleweight division. In all sports, there can only be one world champion. This doesn’t mean those who have fallen should tuck their tails and run for cover.
As long as people are still willing to watch him compete, Leben will always have a place in MMA.
His UFC 138 loss to Mark Munoz speaks volumes to that sentiment. People trashed Leben and Munoz for weeks as an unsuitable headliner for a major fight card, and both middleweights went out and put on a better showing than most “blockbuster” main event bouts on pay-per-view.
Unfortunately, the bout had to be stopped at the end of the second round due to a badly placed cut, which prevented Leben from seeing.
Leben may not have been born with the athletic gifts of Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre or Jon Jones, but he was born a fighter.
As long as he’s entertaining and picking up an occasional win, fans of the sport should expect nothing more or less from the red-headed brawler.
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