Between rounds of his preliminary bout to December 28’s UFC 168 pay per event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, mixed martial arts fighter Chris “The Crippler” Leben said two words that led to a great deal of speculation among UFC fans and the MMA media.
“I’m done.”
The fight ended up as a TKO loss for Chris—his fourth consecutive setback—and was stopped before the second round began when Leben threw in the towel against rising star and fellow alumnus of The Ultimate Fighter Uriah Hall. In the time since, Leben has decided to throw in the towel on his fighting career.
“It’s been a fantastic, wonderful ride,” an obviously emotional Leben said via telephone on “The MMA Hour” podcast hosted by Ariel Helwani. “I’ve landed more strikes than anybody out there. Definitely highs and lows, ups and downs, but I think I’m starting to realize that, for me, it might be time to make that transition away from competing and get more on the coaching side of things.”
Chris Leben announced his new position as coach at Victory MMA & Fitness, a gym in San Diego, Calif.
“I’m 33 years old now, which isn’t the oldest for a fighter. But like I tell people, it’s not how old you are, but it’s how long you’ve been doing it. And I’ve been doing this game for quite a while,” Leben said.
“I didn’t start fighting until I was 21 years old. Back then you could actually get in the UFC, win and do well, just on being a tough guy,” Leben said on the evolution of the sport.
Leben, a veteran of TUF Season One, traces his 22-11 career back to his first professional bout at local promotion UFCF: Everett Extreme Challenge 6 in Everett, Wash. Since then, Chris has seen plenty of action, from becoming the inaugural WEC middleweight champion in 2004 to highlight-reel knock outs of Terry Martin and Wanderlei Silva.
When Helwani asked Leben to clarify if he was retiring from the UFC or fighting as a whole, Chris made one thing very clear.
“If I’m not fighting in the UFC, I’m not fighting,” The Crippler said. “I’ve been with the UFC for almost 10 years and I kind of feel like I’ve really grown in parallel with them.”
“You’re either moving forward or moving backward. I just can’t imagine myself, having had so many amazing fights in the UFC, and then to be stepping back into a smaller show. It would be so crazy”
What do you think of Chris Leben’s retirement announcement? What is your favorite Chris Leben fight?
