THE CANADIAN PRESS
It’s been a banner year for Chris (the Crippler) Leben. Three fights, three wins and a couple of bonus cheques.
A victory over Brian (All American) Stann on Saturday night at UFC 125 and the 30-year-old Hawaii-based middleweight will likely be looking at a marquee 185-pound matchup, with Wanderlei (The Axe Murderer) Silva touted as a possible opponent.
Saturday’s fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will be the 17th UFC bout in a career that has seen the hard-headed, hard-hitting Leben go from troubled boozehound to likable loose cannon to crowd-pleaser and possible middleweight contender.
"Life’s an interesting thing, it’s full of ups and downs," the colourful fighter reflected in an interview with The Canadian Press. "Some years have been better than other and 2010 was definitely, as far as my career goes, a fantastic year for me."
The one that preceded it was not so good.
Leben (21-6) fought just once in 2009, choked out cold by Jake Rosholt at UFC 102 after serving a drug suspension. Leben had tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol following his main event loss to Michael (The Count) Bisping at UFC 89 in October 2008.
Leben remembered the leadup to the Rosholt fight in a YouTube video from a Swedish MMA site (www.mmanews.se) documenting his training camp for Stann.
"Two and half weeks out I was 215 (pounds) and drunk," Leben said to his coach. "I just was in a really bad spot in my life."
Wins just two weeks apart in 2010 over the previously unbeaten Aaron Simpson (on June 19) and Yoshihiro Akiyama (July 3), following a January decision over Jay Silva, proved Leben was back — at least in the cage.
Outside the gym, there was a possible misstep in October when he was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence.
Still Leben remains a fan favourite, especially for the way he won the Akiyama fight. He took his fair share of punishment — while handing out some of his own — before slapping on a third-round triangle choke.
With a granite chin and power in his fists, Leben can never be counted out.
A dazed Leben showed that against Terry Martin in September 2007, when he conjured up a KO punch out of nowhere in the third round.
Away from the cage, Leben’s self-deprecating humour is hard not to like.
"I’m glad you guys let me into your country," Leben, who has had his runs-in with the law, cheerfully told the UFC 89 pre-fight conference in Birmingham, England. "I was a little worried on the plane. But dude, we’re here."
The tattooed fighter with a penchant for nail polish is rarely at a loss for an answer. Ask him about Canada and he waxes poetic.
"I love Canada. Canada’s great," said the Oregon native. "In my opinion we should take Canada and we should take every state in the United States that’s on the water and make them all one country and then the whole middle part, that’s not touching ocean, should just be a whole another country.
"I think their viewpoints are more similar, you know what I mean? Something about being close to the ocean makes you more liberal, I don’t know."
Asked about Court McGee, a fellow 185-pounder who has spoken out about his own battle with addiction, and Leben says to his mind all fighters have issues.
"Fighters are like strippers, they ain’t paying their way through college," he told the post-fight news conference after beating Simpson on the live finale to Season 11 of "The Ultimate Fighter."
"If you don’t understand what that means, in other words there’s always something underlying in all of us. Nobody in their right mind, no normal sane person goes ‘You know what, screw college, screw my guidance counsellor, I’m going to put all my chips in one basket to become a cage fighter, to get the crap kicked out of me in front of other people."’
"For me it’s all or nothing, it’s full throttle or nothing," he added. "Either I’m eating ice cream or candy or I’m dieting 100 per cent. If I go out and have a drink, I’m going to get trashed. I know that. That’s why I’m not going to do that. And it’s the same thing in the ring. .. we all have something like that in us, that’s true with all fighters."
At UFC 89, Leben had another way of explaining the need for changing his lifestyle.
Leben recalled "really realizing that ‘Hey I’m a professional athlete. What am I doing out at four in the morning on Tuesday?"’
Leben wears his heart on his sleeve, admitting to reporters after the Akiyama fight that he had cried in bed the night before because he had not wanted to let his team down.
"There’s nothing like winning a fight in the UFC, there’s nothing like it in the world, period," he explained.
Leben says for him, fighting is no longer about proving how tough he is. He sees himself as a martial artist showing off the combined efforts of his team.
Leben credits his recent success to coaches Burton Richardson and Greg Thompson at his Ultimate Fight School gym, and his support group outside the gym.
"I’ve got fantastic, wonderful people around me. I’ve got a great group of friends, both in Hawaii and in Oregon, I’ve got a fantastic girlfriend, I’ve got a beautiful gym.
"It (MMA) has done a lot for my life and considering where I came from to where I’m at now, I wouldn’t change a thing.
The recent string of success has also made for some decent paydays.
Leben has earned more than US$300,000 this year, not counting other unannounced bonuses from the UFC, which likely gave him a fat cheque behind closed doors for stepping up to take the Akiyama bout on short notice.
He collected $161,000 for the Akiyama win, including a win bonus of $43,000 and $75,000 for co-fight of the night.
For Simpson, Leben made $95,000 including a win bonus of $35,000 and knockout of the night cheque for $25,000.
Leben made $60,000, including $30,000 for a win bonus, for defeating Silva.
Leben is 11-5 in the UFC. Stann is 9-3 in his career but six of those fights were in the WEC, where he held the light-heavyweight title, and five in the UFC where he is 3-2.
It’s the former U.S. marine’s second fight since dropping down to 185 pounds.
Some thought Leben might be upset he didn’t get a more high-profile fight after Akiyama. But Leben is respectful in assessing Stann, whom he calls a "formidable, physical" opponent.
"I’ve come to learn, this being my 17th fight in the UFC, you never know what (matchmaker) Joe Silva is thinking. I mean, I love the guy, he’s a great guy. But I guarantee you there’s some sort of master plan there. He’s thinking Brian Stann, he’s an American hero, the U.S. troops like him, if he beats Chris Leben, it blows him up to that next level, he could be the next big superstar. If Chris Leben wins, then he’s got four wins in a row, that lines him up for a title shot."
"Really what I want to do is go out and make a statement with Brian Stann," he added. "That’s the way I’m looking at it. OK this is a chance for me to go out and show them that when Chris Leben is on his A game, I’m at the top of the food chain."
While Leben credits his coaches, Richardson throws the compliment right back, telling the training camp video blog that every sculptor needs that great piece of marble to work with.
"Nobody wants to paint an ugly girl," responds Leben.
After replacing the injured Wanderlei Silva against Akiyama, Leben said the two should meet in the cage. Silva responded on video, saying Leben would be a worthy opponent and they should do it in Toronto, site of UFC 129 in April.
"I would love to fight him, I would especially love to fight him in Toronto."
It may come down to Canada Customs, Leben suggested in pulling out a favourite line.
"I just don’t know if you guys are going to let me in the country or not," he said with a laugh.
