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Showing posts with label Chris Leben. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Leben. Show all posts

Hard-hitting UFC middleweight fighter Chris "The Crippler" Leben is seeking an August return to the UFC following a 9-month suspension. Leben's suspension is complete in late July, and he would like to be apart of the rumored UFC 102 event in Portland, Oregon.

Leben is coming off of a decision loss to Michael Bisping at last October's UFC 89 in Birmingham, England. The UFC suspended Leben for nine months after a post-fight drug test revealed the presence of stanozolol, a performance enhancing steroid. He also had to forfeit one third of his fight purse.

Leben was born in Portland, Oregon and he spent much of his professional career in the suburb of Gresham through his affiliation with Team Quest. Leben had this to say about possibly fighting at UFC 102 in his hometown: "It would be a dream come true."

Anchored by a middleweight bout between Michael "The Count" Bisping and Chris "The Crippler" Leben, UFC 89 on Saturday drew an average of 2.6 million viewers, according to Spike TV representatives. The telecast -- which aired on tape delay from the National Indoor Arena (NIA) in Birmingham, England -- peaked with 3.4 million viewers during the 11:30 PM to 11:45 PM quarter hour.

Despite stiff competition from Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on TBS and regional college football coverage on ESPN and ESPN2, the UFC 89 telecast ranked second with 18 to 49 year-old males, 18 to 34 year-old males and 25 to 34 year-old males among ad-supported cable for its time period.

Bisping (17-1) defeated Leben by unanimous decision in a competitive main event, as the UFC made its final stop in the United Kingdom this year. The popular 29 year-old Brit extended his winning streak to three fights and continued his rapid ascent up the 185-pound ladder. Scheduled to coach on the ninth season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series, Bisping will face the winner of the UFC 93 match pairing Rich Franklin with Dan Henderson sometime in 2009.

In the co-main event at UFC 89, light heavyweight contender Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine eked out a split decision win over the suddenly enigmatic Brandon "The Truth" Vera. The event also featured a memorable welterweight slugfest between Chris Lytle and Paul Taylor, which earned both men a $40,000 "Fight of the Night" bonus. Lytle won by unanimous decision.

Despite its success, UFC 89 fell short of the mark set by UFC 75 "Champion vs Champion", which also aired on tape delay on Spike TV in September 2007. That event, which showcased a light heavyweight championship bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Dan Henderson, drew 4.7 million viewers, making it, at the time, the most-watched mixed martial arts event in North American history.

Here are the results of UFC 89 which held in The NIA, Birmingham, England last Saturday night:
  • Michael "The Count" Bisping def. Chris "The Crippler" Leben by unanimous decision
  • Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine def. Brandon "The Truth" Vera by split decision
  • Luis "Banha" Cane def. Rameau "The African Assassin" Sokoudjou by TKO at 4:15 of Round 2
  • Chris Lytle def. Paul Taylor by unanimous decision
  • Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis def. Paul Kelly by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:16 of Round 2
  • Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy def. Akihiro "The Japanese Sensation" Gono by split decision
  • Shane Carwin def. Neil Wain by TKO at 1:31 of Round 1
  • David Bielkheden def. Jess "The Joker" Liaudin by unanimous decision
  • Terry Etim def. Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout by unanimous decision
  • Jim Miller def. David Baron by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:19 of Round 3
  • Per Eklund def. Samy Schiavo by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:47 of round 3

UFC middleweight fighter Chris Leben was sentenced today to 35 days in jail for violating his parole from a driving under the influence (DUI) arrest 3 years ago.

Leben, who now resides in Hawaii, flew back to Oregon and surrendered himself to authorities last Wednesday in an effort to remove an old warrant. It was the only way for Leben to obtain a VISA to leave the country for his June 7 fight against Michael Bisping at UFC 85 in London.

UFC will make an announcement soon on whether Leben will remain on the card with less preparation time or to remove him entirely from the event.

Chris Leben, who was scheduled to face Michael Bisping in one of the major matches at the UFC 85 pay per view in London on 6/7, turned himself in Clackamas County, Oregon last night for a driving under the influence (DUI) that he had an outstanding warrant on, resulting in a violation of his parole. He remained in jail at press time and was to go before a judge at 3 PM today.

He is not eligible for bail due to the probation violation.

According to a web post by T. Jay Thompson of Honolulu, who Leben works for teaching at the Icon Gym, Leben turned himself in on an outstanding warrant to assure he could get a Visa for England and will remain on the show. He expects Leben will serve eight to ten days which takes him out of serious fight training.

UFC sources confirmed today they expect the fight to go on as scheduled and had been aware of Leben's issues for about a week.

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