UFC 155 was not the finest hour for Chris Leben.
In fact, the entire year of 2012 is probably one Leben might wish to forget. The hard-hitting fan favorite rode the metaphorical pine all year after testing positive for painkillers in November 2011, and when he came back Saturday night, he dropped a unanimous decision to UFC debutante Derek Brunson in a 15-minute snoozefest that saw both men gas badly and fail to consistently display any notable offense of any kind.
Unfortunately, last November wasn’t the setting of Leben’s first positive drug test. But if he turns in another performance like the one he turned in Saturday night, it could be the last.
Leben (22-9) is now 32 years old, but may be more advanced in corporeal terms because of all those odometer clicks he’s put on himself over the years, thanks to all those fights and all those struggles with substance abuse.
Personally, though, I don’t want to see Leben go out like this. He has captured the hearts and minds of many, many people who love his brawling style and thunderous fists or recognize his personal demons as their own.
Nevertheless, he’ll need to do better his next time out. A lot better. Here are five middleweights who could provide a solid litmus test for “The Crippler.”