Filed under: UFC, NewsIt’s been over a year since the UFC has staged a show in the UK. As is customary when the promotion parks the octagon on British land, fans bought tickets in droves. According to managing director of international development for …
It’s been over a year since the UFC has staged a show in the UK. As is customary when the promotion parks the octagon on British land, fans bought tickets in droves. According to managing director of international development for the UFC Marshall Zelaznik, the organization has already been informed that UFC 138 will break the all-time gate record for the LG Arena in Birmingham on Saturday night.
Still, there have been some complaints about the card. There are no title matches, no No. 1 contender matches, and no former champions spotlighted.
All main-event participants Chris Leben and Mark Munoz can do about that is put on a show of their own, and at Thursday press conference, both agreed that anyone watching won’t be disappointed.
“You guys have a main event you’re not going to have to worry about,” said Leben, who is known for his always aggressive, often reckless style. “Sometimes we put these main events together because they’re names, and it sucks. We’re going to get in there and we’re going to do it. I promise you a great show.”
Munoz echoed those thoughts.
“He throws bombs, and I throw bombs, so bombs away,” he said.
Both Munoz (11-2) and Leben (22-7) have performed well over the last two years. Munoz has captured six of his last seven bouts, most recently defeating Demian Maia in June. And Leben, a winner of four of his last five, is coming off a 27-second knockout of Wanderlei Silva.
Leben said that because the two enter the fight with so much recent success, the winner deserves to be the No. 1 contender. That’s not likely, especially with Chael Sonnen campaigning for a rematch with Anderson Silva. But Leben said for the sake of the fans, he’s just the type of fighter that should be fighting for the belt.
“I’ve been watching a lot of fights lately where the champs, they seem to …maybe it’s just me, but it seems like they’re fighting not to lose,” he said. “For myself, I’d quit if that’s what I start doing. I fight to win, I fight to finish my opponent. I don’t fight to not lose. And that’s what you’re going to see.”
Munoz has had the experience of facing southpaws before, but he probably hasn’t faced anyone with the punching power and fearlessness of Leben. Munoz said he’s blessed to have lots of lefties in his camp, and he’s also studied a lot of tape in preparation of the fight. Everything to be ready. Everything to put on a good show.
“We want to be the best, and I definitely want to be the best,” Munoz said. “I’m getting closer and closer, and this is one of the steps to get there, so I’m definitely going to take it.”
Filed under: UFC, NewsIt’s been over a year since the UFC has staged a show in the UK. As is customary when the promotion parks the octagon on British land, fans bought tickets in droves. According to managing director of international development for …
It’s been over a year since the UFC has staged a show in the UK. As is customary when the promotion parks the octagon on British land, fans bought tickets in droves. According to managing director of international development for the UFC Marshall Zelaznik, the organization has already been informed that UFC 138 will break the all-time gate record for the LG Arena in Birmingham on Saturday night.
Still, there have been some complaints about the card. There are no title matches, no No. 1 contender matches, and no former champions spotlighted.
All main-event participants Chris Leben and Mark Munoz can do about that is put on a show of their own, and at Thursday press conference, both agreed that anyone watching won’t be disappointed.
“You guys have a main event you’re not going to have to worry about,” said Leben, who is known for his always aggressive, often reckless style. “Sometimes we put these main events together because they’re names, and it sucks. We’re going to get in there and we’re going to do it. I promise you a great show.”
Munoz echoed those thoughts.
“He throws bombs, and I throw bombs, so bombs away,” he said.
Both Munoz (11-2) and Leben (22-7) have performed well over the last two years. Munoz has captured six of his last seven bouts, most recently defeating Demian Maia in June. And Leben, a winner of four of his last five, is coming off a 27-second knockout of Wanderlei Silva.
Leben said that because the two enter the fight with so much recent success, the winner deserves to be the No. 1 contender. That’s not likely, especially with Chael Sonnen campaigning for a rematch with Anderson Silva. But Leben said for the sake of the fans, he’s just the type of fighter that should be fighting for the belt.
“I’ve been watching a lot of fights lately where the champs, they seem to …maybe it’s just me, but it seems like they’re fighting not to lose,” he said. “For myself, I’d quit if that’s what I start doing. I fight to win, I fight to finish my opponent. I don’t fight to not lose. And that’s what you’re going to see.”
Munoz has had the experience of facing southpaws before, but he probably hasn’t faced anyone with the punching power and fearlessness of Leben. Munoz said he’s blessed to have lots of lefties in his camp, and he’s also studied a lot of tape in preparation of the fight. Everything to be ready. Everything to put on a good show.
“We want to be the best, and I definitely want to be the best,” Munoz said. “I’m getting closer and closer, and this is one of the steps to get there, so I’m definitely going to take it.”
Mark Munoz will compete in his first five-round fight Saturday night when he meets Chris Leben at UFC 138 in Birmingham, England. “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” recently granted MMAFighting.com access to his one of his intense training days at the Reign Training Center in California for another installment in our “Fight Journal” series, shot and edited by E. Casey Leydon.
Mark Munoz will compete in his first five-round fight Saturday night when he meets Chris Leben at UFC 138 in Birmingham, England. “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” recently granted MMAFighting.com access to his one of his intense training days at the Reign Training Center in California for another installment in our “Fight Journal” series, shot and edited by E. Casey Leydon.
Filed under: UFCUFC 138 comes to us on tape delay from across the pond this weekend, and like many UFC events in the U.K. it features no shortage of fights that, at least on paper, seem a little bit lopsided.
UFC 138 comes to us on tape delay from across the pond this weekend, and like many UFC events in the U.K. it features no shortage of fights that, at least on paper, seem a little bit lopsided.
What does that mean for you? Well, if you know how to pick ’em you could profit handsomely off an outsized betting line here or there. If you don’t, you could end up crying into a pint of the dark stuff along with all the Brits who made ill-advised bets on Premier League games. Hey, at least you won’t be drinking alone.
Now let’s take a look at the odds on UFC 138’s main card bouts, and see if we can’t find a bargain.
Remember when Leben was a hefty dog against Aaron Simpson, who also seemed like a sure bet to out-wrestle him thoroughly and completely? All it took was a couple patented Leben bombs to turn that one into the kind of street fight he was looking for, so why couldn’t history repeat itself? Before we get carried away in that comparison we should note some differences between Munoz and Simpson. For starters, Munoz owns a victory over the A-Train, which has to count for something. But more importantly, Munoz has improved his all-around game greatly in the past couple years, so if he has to he can hold his own on the feet with Leben, at least for a little while. That’s not to say he’ll necessarily want to try for the knockout, of course. The smart play would be putting Leben on his back and keeping him there, but Munoz can swat when he wants to. Just ask CB Dollaway. By the same token, Leben can take it and keep coming back with more. Just ask Akiyama. My pick: Leben. Any time you throw your money down on the Catsmasher, be prepared to lose it. That said, I just can’t turn my back on odds like these, especially when they’re attached to a guy who is never more than one left hand from victory.
It’s still hard to tell just how good Barao really is. He won both his WEC fights and then edged out Cole Escovedo at UFC 130, but he hasn’t stepped up to take on that next level of competition yet — at least, not until now. Granted, Pickett wouldn’t be this high on any UFC card outside the U.K., but this is still a man with wins over both “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Ivan Menjivar in the past year and a half, so it’s not as if he’s just some bloke who’s been plucked from the local pub and thrown into the cage. Like many British fighters, he could stand to improve his wrestling. That might be more of a concern if he was going up against an All-American from some Big Ten school, but against a Brazilian like Barao it might be less of an issue. You know Pickett will have the crowd on his side, which could help swing it if the fight goes the distance. Barao’s winning streak is impressive on paper, but it’s one thing to beat local dudes in Brazil and quite another to take on an experienced opponent like Pickett in his home country. My pick: Pickett. He’s only a slight underdog, but I’d take him here if the odds on it were even.
These UK cards are usually great opportunities for lesser-known European fighters to get beat up by UFC mainstays, which is exactly what oddsmakers think is going on here. Abedi is a Swedish fighter who’s undefeated against a handful of Europeans you’ve probably never heard of, and here he is making his UFC debut against human buzzsaw Thiago Alves, who is sorely in need of a victory to lift him out of the rough spot he’s in. In one way, it’s a tough fight for Alves. After going 1-3 in his last four, he can’t afford to lose to some guy from Sweden who’s making his UFC debut. If Abedi gets knocked out by Alves, hey, what did anyone expect? But if Alves does anything but dominate Abedi, it looks bad. That’s a lot of pressure to perform, and at a critical time in his career. My pick: Alves. Debuting against a guy like Alves is asking a lot of Abedi. If he turns out to be up to the task, he’ll surprise a lot of people, me included. But I’m not willing to bet on it.
Etim’s an exciting young fighter who’s been out of action since the UFC’s trip to Abu Dhabi in April of 2010. Now he makes a comeback in front of his countrymen, and it seems like he might be getting a bit of a softball. Faaloloto is very inexperienced, and he has yet to win a fight under the Zuffa banner. He didn’t even make it out of the first round in his only UFC fight, so it seems as if just maybe the brass is feeding him to Etim with the expectation that the British crowd will enjoy seeing an American get pummeled by one of their own. That’s not bad logic, but it is bad news for Faaloloto unless he’s a lot better than he’s shown so far. My pick: Etim. With odds like those, it’s almost not worth including in the parlay. Almost.
At first glance, it seems like sort of a miracle that Perosh is still in the UFC. He got back in the organization as a late replacement against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, who brutalized him something awful until the doctors finally stopped it. He got the requisite make-up fight back in a weight class more to his liking last February, and he made the most of it with a submission win over Tom Blackledge. Now he has to leave the friendly confines of Australia and take on the French kickboxer Diabate in an old school striker-versus-grappler match. As you can see, oddsmakers like the striker’s chances, and with good reason. Diabate is not only dangerous on the feet, he’s also learned to use his lanky frame on the mat in recent years. In fact, he’s only lost to two people in the last five years, and one was “Shogun” Rua. The other was Alexander Gustafsson, which is still not too shabby for a guy in his late 30s. Perosh, who is also pushing 40, seems like he can’t be long for the UFC with his up-and-down performances. Then again, I never would have guessed he’d hang on this long. My pick: Diabate. Another one for the parlay. Sadly, I can’t bring myself to take the long odds on “The Hippo.”
The ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay: Pickett + Alves + Etim + Diabate
(“I want people to look at me and say, ‘Wow, this is where he started and look where he ended up.'” Photo props: MMA Weekly)
By Ben Goldstein
Over the last six years, we’ve watched Chris Leben evolve from The Ultimate Fighter‘s original wild-ass brawler, to a multi-faceted contender who has the tools to defeat virtually any middleweight opponent on any given night. In fact, two of Leben’s last three fights have resulted in the greatest victories of his entire career — his epic UFC 116 Fight of the Night against Yoshihiro Akiyama, and his stunning 27-second knockout of Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132.
On November 5th, Leben will headline UFC 138 in Birmingham, England, against Mark Munoz, in a meeting that could put one of them on the short-list for a title shot. We spent some time on the phone with the Crippler last week and discussed all the notable battles in his life that have led him to where he is today, facing yet another massive opportunity. Enjoy, and check out our previous Retrospective Interviews right here.
THE ORIGIN STORY
(Matt Lindland, overdressed as usual.)
CHRIS LEBEN: “I think I was in the fourth grade when I got into my first fight. I can’t remember what it was over — something on the playground. But that was my first real, non-wrestling match, hitting-each-other-in-the-face kind of fight. And all the other kids just stood around and watched. I didn’t get into fights a lot, but I definitely had some good ones, like all kids that are a little more on the wild side.
I did a little wrestling in grade school, and something called Christian Karate that I did in like third grade. Then I started boxing in eighth grade and I actually took that really seriously.
Even when I was in junior high, my plan was always to fight in the UFC. I joined Team Quest right after I turned 21. You have to remember that at 185 pounds, I was training with Matt Lindland, Evan Tanner, Chael Sonnen, Ed Herman — we were all in the same room, every day. And every day I walked into the gym, my first coach Robert Follis would say, ‘Good morning Chris, how are you doing?’ And I’d say, ‘Did you get me a fight yet? Did you get me a fight yet?’ I’d never say, ‘Good morning, how are you,’ it was always ‘Did you get me a fight yet?’ I believe it was about six months until I had my first amateur fight.”
(“I want people to look at me and say, ‘Wow, this is where he started and look where he ended up.’” Photo props: MMA Weekly)
By Ben Goldstein
Over the last six years, we’ve watched Chris Leben evolve from The Ultimate Fighter‘s original wild-ass brawler, to a multi-faceted contender who has the tools to defeat virtually any middleweight opponent on any given night. In fact, two of Leben’s last three fights have resulted in the greatest victories of his entire career — his epic UFC 116 Fight of the Night against Yoshihiro Akiyama, and his stunning 27-second knockout of Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132.
On November 5th, Leben will headline UFC 138 in Birmingham, England, against Mark Munoz, in a meeting that could put one of them on the short-list for a title shot. We spent some time on the phone with the Crippler last week and discussed all the notable battles in his life that have led him to where he is today, facing yet another massive opportunity. Enjoy, and check out our previous Retrospective Interviews right here.
THE ORIGIN STORY
(Matt Lindland, overdressed as usual.)
CHRIS LEBEN: “I think I was in the fourth grade when I got into my first fight. I can’t remember what it was over — something on the playground. But that was my first real, non-wrestling match, hitting-each-other-in-the-face kind of fight. And all the other kids just stood around and watched. I didn’t get into fights a lot, but I definitely had some good ones, like all kids that are a little more on the wild side.
I did a little wrestling in grade school, and something called Christian Karate that I did in like third grade. Then I started boxing in eighth grade and I actually took that really seriously.
Even when I was in junior high, my plan was always to fight in the UFC. I joined Team Quest right after I turned 21. You have to remember that at 185 pounds, I was training with Matt Lindland, Evan Tanner, Chael Sonnen, Ed Herman — we were all in the same room, every day. And every day I walked into the gym, my first coach Robert Follis would say, ‘Good morning Chris, how are you doing?’ And I’d say, ‘Did you get me a fight yet? Did you get me a fight yet?’ I’d never say, ‘Good morning, how are you,’ it was always ‘Did you get me a fight yet?’ I believe it was about six months until I had my first amateur fight.”
CHRIS LEBEN vs. MIKE SWICK WEC 9, 1/16/04 Result: Leben wins via second-round knockout and becomes the first WEC middleweight champion
“That was the first time I met Dana White. He was actually sitting in the front row for that fight, so I went up and talked to him, which was a pretty big deal for me. At that point, I think The Ultimate Fighter probably wasn’t much more than a pipe dream for the Fertittas. But me and Dana talked about fighting Sakurai in PRIDE because he was a little big after his knee injury back then, and possibly getting into the UFC sometime.”
“I kind of look at it like boot camp: You don’t necessarily enjoy it while you’re there, but once it’s done you’re glad you did it. And don’t get me wrong, I had some great times on the show, some fun moments, and I learned a lot — both about fighting and myself — but if they said, ‘Hey Chris, we want you be a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter right now,’ would I jump at that opportunity? To be a coach, yeah, I’d jump at that. But to be a competitor and live in that house with all those other guys, at my age, where I am now in my life? Absolutely fucking not.
The top-tier of the martial arts world is a small world, and we’re the original [cast], so I feel camaraderie with those guys. Every time I see Stephan Bonnar we’re always telling war stories.”
On the previousrumors of Chris Leben being booked to face his TUF nemesis Josh Koscheck: “It’s funny, the guys at my gym know more about what’s going on in the sport from me. Half the time I hear about who I’m fighting from some random fight-school member that read it on a blog somewhere. The Internet’s not really my favorite thing, but I heard some people at my gym saw that idea being kicked around on forums, and I loved it, but the opportunity never came to me. I’d love to take that fight.”
On the next page: An ill-fated run-in with the Spider, going zombie-mode against Terry Martin, and the fight he’d rather not discuss.
No details have emerged in regards to possible weight classes or coaches for the series, but one name that must be in the mix is none other than “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” himself, Mark Munoz. Coming off a big win over Demian Maia at UFC 131, Munoz has gone 6-1 since his drop to middleweight, with the lone loss coming to most recent title contender Yushin Okami. Pairing him with the winner of the Belfort-Le scrap could make for an interesting title picture at 185, and with Anderson Silva riding the pine until then, the division is in need of a few high profile fights to fill the void.
With the recent success of OneFC, there is no question of the potential talent that could become a part of this series; the likes of Eduard Folayang and Eric Kelly could present some intriguing match-ups at lightweight and featherweight, respectively, though the likelihood of the UFC doing two straight seasons of lighter weight-classes seems slim. Then again, the last heavyweight season of The Ultimate Fighter didn’t exactly leave us begging for more.
It’s been over a year since the UFC has staged a show in the UK. As is customary when the promotion parks the octagon on British land, fans bought tickets in droves. According to managing director of international development for the UFC Marshall Zelaznik, the organization has already been informed that UFC 138 will break the all-time gate record for the LG Arena in Birmingham on Saturday night.
