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UFC 138 Results: Chris Leben Lost 21 Pounds in 24 Hours Prior to UFC 138

Chirs Leben had struggled cutting weight to prepare for his opponent, Mark Munoz, at UFC 138. FightersOnly.co.uk has now revealed that Leben cut nearly 21 pounds in 24 hours prior to his bout against Munoz. Sources close to the 31-year-old said he…

Chirs Leben had struggled cutting weight to prepare for his opponent, Mark Munoz, at UFC 138.

FightersOnly.co.uk has now revealed that Leben cut nearly 21 pounds in 24 hours prior to his bout against Munoz. Sources close to the 31-year-old said he was closely watched by medical staff just prior to the weigh-ins.

The website reports that Leben spent Friday morning in the hotel sauna and he wore layers of clothing as he sweat water out of his body. The weight cut became so difficult that Leben’s general condition came into question and he was almost forced to withdraw from the bout.

However, Leben proceeded to fight against Munoz but he was visibly tired after the first round. Leben began the second round looking much more sluggish and fatigued; he then was taken down repeatedly by his opponent. Munoz cut Leben above his right eye which prompted the referee to request a doctor’s inspection, but Leben continued and finished the round.

Leben was exhausted after the end of the round, which forced his cornermen to end the bout as they didn’t feel he was in any physical condition to continue.

The loss now puts Leben’s UFC record at 12-7 and 22-8 overall.

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Mark Munoz Comes to His Senses, Calls Out Michael Bisping Instead

(“I WAS ONLY KIDDING! RAAAAAWWWRRRR!!!!” Photo via UFC.com)

Mark Munoz‘s post-fight call-out of middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 138 was so unnecessarily beside-the-point that Spike TV didn’t even include it in their tape-delayed broadcast. And you can’t really fault them for that editing decision. Munoz is behind at least two guys on the contender ladder — Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping, provided that the Count can get past Jason Miller in December — and if you’re not going to start your call-out with a memorable line like “Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck,” you’re not going to gain much traction with fans.

So, the Filipino Wrecking Machine has set his sights on smaller, more manageable prey — namely, the aforementioned British heel, Michael Bisping. As Munoz told ESPN:

(“I WAS ONLY KIDDING! RAAAAAWWWRRRR!!!!” Photo via UFC.com)

So, the Filipino Wrecking Machine has set his sights on smaller, more manageable prey — namely, the aforementioned British heel, Michael Bisping. As Munoz told ESPN:

“Michael Bisping is a guy who has proven himself in this sport. He’s a great mixed martial artist. I’d love to fight him, it’d be an honour to fight him just like it was an honour to fight Chris Leben…I’m ready man, whoever they bring I’m ready.”

Now that makes a little more sense. But there’s a catch, of course. If Bisping beats Jason Miller at the TUF 14 Finale, would he even accept a fight against Munoz? Short answer: No. He’d be clamoring for a title shot himself at that point, and wouldn’t want to “take a step backwards,” or risk losing his spot in a dangerous fight against Munoz.

And the alternate scenario — what if Bisping loses to Mayhem? Then, booking Munoz vs. Bisping makes a lot of sense, but would a win over Bisping (who’d be coming off a loss at that point) vault Munoz into the middleweight #1 contender spot? Short answer: Probably not; it kind of depends on who else is available.

There really doesn’t seem to be a simple path for Munoz to get to a title fight in the near future, especially when you consider that he and Jason Miller are training partners, and may not be eager to fight each other. With four straight victories, Munoz is clearly one of the major players at 185. But until the minor logjam at the top of the division sorts itself out, he’s better off keeping his head down and beating whoever they put in front of him.

UFC: Why Mark Munoz Is More Dangerous to Anderson Silva Than Chael Sonnen

UFC 138 may not have had the biggest names on it, but there was one potential star who appeared in the main event and dominated one of the consensus top middleweights in the world.I’m talking, of course, about Mark Munoz, who stopped Chris Leben …

UFC 138 may not have had the biggest names on it, but there was one potential star who appeared in the main event and dominated one of the consensus top middleweights in the world.

I’m talking, of course, about Mark Munoz, who stopped Chris Leben between the second and third rounds.

He looked great in the fight as he pummeled Leben, but it was what he did after the fight itself that might end up making the biggest news.

Rather than do what many believe he should do and challenge one more top contender before he looks to the peak of the mountain, Munoz took a helicopter right to the top by challenging UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Certainly the consensus is that former No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen should receive the next shot at the title based on his performance against Silva in their previous fight, but Munoz really created some discussion on the subject.

Not only that, but he might even be a more dangerous opponent for Anderson Silva.

Sonnen is a beast, but he and Munoz have different skill sets. So let’s take a look at some reasons why Munoz could realistically defeat Silva whenever he finally gets his shot at the title.

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Mark Munoz Says He’s Paid His Dues, Ready for a Shot at Anderson Silva

Mark Munoz is no longer knocking for a UFC title shot.The door is wide open, and Munoz is ready to step over the threshold and get his opportunity to compete for the UFC middleweight title.”The Filipino Wrecking Machine” extended his winning streak to …

Mark Munoz is no longer knocking for a UFC title shot.

The door is wide open, and Munoz is ready to step over the threshold and get his opportunity to compete for the UFC middleweight title.

“The Filipino Wrecking Machine” extended his winning streak to four at UFC 138 on Saturday night after opening up a nasty gash over Chris Leben’s eye and forcing the referee to call an end to the bout.

“Chris Leben is a tough competitor. I knew I had to look out for his left hand,” Munoz said to Joe Rogan in the cage after his win. “I had to get rid of my brawling instincts and stick to my wrestling. I had to get angles, change levels and utilize my wrestling and my single leg and my ground and pound.”

Throughout his UFC tenure, Munoz has been criticized for abandoning his world-class wrestling pedigree and attempting to outlast opponents in unnecessary and wild exchanges on the standup.

Munoz was a two-time All-American and an NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Oklahoma State. He has the skill set to present plenty of problems for any fighter at 185 pounds.

It was a major statement to see him stick with his grappling roots in his bout with Leben.

In the main event of a major UFC fight card, most would’ve expected Munoz to throw out any form of a game plan and stand toe to toe with Leben winging haymakers.

Instead, the world saw a much more mature Munoz. He put on an exciting showing for fans, but he wasn’t reckless in doing so.

He did what needed to be done to get the victory.

Is Munoz ready for a title shot?

“I’ve paid my dues in this weight class. I think I deserve a title shot,” said Munoz. “Anderson Silva is by far the best pound-for-pound fighter. I give him all the respect and honor. I consider him a friend, but I think I deserve a title shot right now.”

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UFC 138 Results: Matches to Make After Mark Munoz vs. Chris Leben

With his win over Chris Leben at UFC 138, Mark Munoz put himself in position to begin campaigning for a middleweight title shot. With Chael Sonnen and Dan Henderson already doing the same, Munoz may still need one more big win before he is given the op…

Likewise, bantamweight Renan Barao proved himself to be one of the best 135-pound fighters in the world by finishing Brad Pickett in the first round. The winner of a fight between Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles will likely earn the next shot at bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz, but Barao has put himself within striking distance.

With more work to do before they find themselves in a championship bout, here are the opponents Munoz and Barao—along with the rest of UFC 138’s competitors—could be looking at next.

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UFC 138 Excuse Watch: Chris Leben Had to Cut 21 Pounds in 24 Hours Before Munoz Fight

(Leben gets his cut checked out by forensics investigator Vince Masuka. Gif via IronForgesIron)

We knew something was up. After the first five minutes of his UFC 138 main event battle with Mark Munoz on Saturday, Chris Leben already looked like he was heading into the championship rounds — sucking deep breaths, his body drifting towards a Pudzianowski-esque shade of crimson. And according to a Fighters Only report, it wasn’t just trans-Atlantic jet lag or a post-Halloween candy hangover:

Chris Leben cut nearly 21 pounds in 24 hours to make weight for his fight with Mark Munoz, Fighters Only was told ahead of last night’s bout. The 31-year old middleweight had “a terrible weight cut” and was in such bad shape before the weigh ins that medical staff were keeping a very close eye on him.

(Leben gets his cut checked out by forensics investigator Vince Masuka. Gif via IronForgesIron)

A source close to Leben told Fighters Only on Friday that Leben had been left “shattered” by the amount of weight he had to cut on weigh-in day. He was in the hotel sauna from Friday morning hooded up and wearing layers of clothing as he sweated water out of his body. His dehydration and general condition was such that one of the medical team backstage said Leben would be pulled from the fight if things deteriorated any further.

Indeed, Leben was so delirious after the fight that he was drawing dicks where they didn’t really belong. So what the hell happened? Leben understood that his fight with Munoz represented a pivotal moment in his career that could have established him as a top contender in the UFC’s middleweight division. And yet, trying to cut over twenty pounds before the fight suggests that somewhere along the line, he wasn’t taking his preparation as seriously as he should have. If Leben comes out with an explanation for the epic miscalculation, we’ll let you know.