Where Does Chris Leben Fit In?

by Brandon Jones on Jun 10, 2008 5:31 PM EDT Comment 10 comments

Where exactly does a fighter like Chris Leben fit in the UFC 185 pound division. In my book, near the top.

Granted Leben got destroyed by current champ Anderson Silva, but who doesnt? Trust me, I know what you are going to say next. What about the back to back losses to Jason MacDonald and (gulp) Kalib Starnes?

Lets analyze those two losses for a second. First off, I believe Kalib Starnes was treated unfairly. Yes he ran, but the dude had a broken foot. A lot of guys would have quit. His strategy was to continue the fight in hopes of catching his opponent in a submission. It didnt work for him. MacDonald on the other hand has made a great showing in the UFC, losing only to former champ Rich Franklin and the only UFC fighter to beat Silva, Yushin Okami.

A closer look tells us what is even more impressive about Leben. The guy stepped into the cage 5 times in 2006. With that kind of pace, a loss or two is almost expected.

In short, Chris Leben may be one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, regardless of whether he ever gets the chance to fight for the title again or not. Leben attacks the cage like few fighters do. Seldom does he ever take a step back. He never stops working, never stops throwing punches until the horn sounds. That is what fighting is all about. Rest assured, when I see Chris Leben on the card, I shell out the $45 to watch the fight and you should too. A fighter like him is much better suited for primetime TV than the likes of Kimbo Slice.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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Chris Leben is not near the top

but he is always entertaining. And that counts for a lot in my book.

by thetakeover on Jun 10, 2008 6:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I’d say he would probably rank like…#13 or so right now in the Division. Maybe as high as 10 depending on how much you like him.

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

"The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls and looking like hard work." -- Thomas Edison

by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 10, 2008 6:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That might actually be interesting to look at: a UFC-only ranking of the weight classes.

Intentional Blog on Balls

by Richard Wade on Jun 10, 2008 7:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

According to fightmatrix.com, the top 10 middleweights in the UFC are

1. Silva
2. Hendo
3. Franklin
4. Okami
5. Leites
6. Marquardt
7. Bisping
8. Leben
9. Cote
10. Kampmann

by George Lucas on Jun 11, 2008 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks Brent...

I had him out of the top 10 myself. I tune in to watch exciting fights, and he puts on a great show everytime. That has to count for something.

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"Life's tough, tougher if you're stupid."

by Brandon Jones on Jun 10, 2008 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Absolutely...

I enjoy watching the guy. And he could easily move himself up the rankings by continuing to win.

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

"The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls and looking like hard work." -- Thomas Edison

by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 10, 2008 9:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Leban can come out and brawl with the best of them and his hands are super heavy to go with his strong chin. But he is a level below guys like Bisping. He does lose to sub par fighters and I think he will continue to be that guy who is that one big punch away from a knock out but won’t be able to beat smart technical fighters.

by Jerret Anderson on Jun 10, 2008 11:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Leben is underrated in my opinion. He is 8-3 in the UFC with wins over Cote, Rivera, Santiago, Martin, and Sakara and losses to Silva, MacDonald, and Starnes. That does not qualify him for a title shot yet, and he may not deserve one as long as Silva is the champ, but as far as where he fits in the division, I think it’s clear that Leben is in the mix.

Comparing him to Bisping is awfully one sided. Bisping has had just two fights at Middleweight, and while a victory over Jason Day is noteworthy considering Day’s resume, Charles McCarthy is not. Previously, Bisping has only lost to Rashad Evans, which is certainly a credit to Bisping’s talent. However, Bisping’s biggest win prior to Day was over Matt Hamill, a fight which most observers felt Bisping lost.

Bisping may well be a better fighter than Leben. Hopefully the match will be put together on another card and we will find out for sure. However, at this moment, comparing the resumes of the two weighs heavily in favor of Leben.

by Brett Jones on Jun 11, 2008 9:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

loose cannon

I don’t know where Leben is right now in terms of his mental state, but I think if he just got his head screwed on right, he’d be a better fighter. Now that’s part of the draw for him, the chaos, but he’s shown some incredible natural talent and athleticism. I always go back to the very beginning of the first TUF. They did an insane tempo run during evaluations, and he was the only guy in the house to finish, and he had just come off and all night drinking bender. He straight up gutted it out.

Violating probations, and serving jail time isn’t going to help him win fights. Getting his life together and training with some solid personalites would go a long way for him.

by dwv114 on Jun 11, 2008 9:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs