Exclusive Chris Leben Interview: UFC Fans, Chael Sonnen and Why He Wants to Fight Rich Franklin
by Jonathan Snowden on Aug 6, 2010 5:58 PM EDT
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You'll have to forgive Chris Leben if he's happy to be sitting this one out. After fighting twice in a two week period (wins over Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama), "The Crippler" took a month off to let his body heal. Instead of stepping into the Octagon tomorrow, he'll be at Jerry Remy's Sports Bar and Grill in Boston, signing autographs and enjoying a great night of fights on two huge big screen T.V.'s. Bloody Elbow's Jonathan Snowden was able to catch up with Leben to talk about the fans, his outlook on life, why he wants to beat the crap out of Rich Franklin, and the method to former teammate Chael Sonnen's madness.
Jonathan Snowden: How are you man? You fought a couple of times in a couple of weeks. How does your body feel after all of that?
Chris Leben: I took about a month off, so I just got back to hard training again. We had two fights in two weeks and you know how it goes. When you train for a fight you train to peak. You kind of push your body as far as you can take it. So, it definitely was taxing. But I pulled through, the end result was good, so things are good. The only bummer is I have to start to train again. (Laughs).
Jonathan Snowden: That's the thing when I talk to fighters-they all say the training is worse than the fights. Explain a little about what goes on in the eight weeks before a fight.
Chris Leben: At about eight weeks out I start training at least twice a day. Conditioning in the morning, then I'm doing my technique and sparring in the evening. There are about six hours a day that I'm in the gym working on my skills, working on my gameplan, working on my conditioning and doing what I need to do to get in shape. The way I like to do it is take a month just to get in shape for my two month camp. By the last month of the camp my diet is just totally nailed, I'm not hanging out with my friends, I'm not answering my cell phone. I'm just locked in the gym. Training away. That's what my life is.
-- photo via ufc.com
Jonathan Snowden: Coincidentally, I was just talking with Scott McKendry at Team Quest. And I was wondering your thoughts about the crew there and especially Robert Follis. It seems to me that Robert is one of the unheralded trainers in the game. What was your experience with him and Team Quest like?
Chris Leben: I don't know how people wouldn't know about Robert Follis. He's only one of the best coaches that have ever been around. He's a father figure for me. He coached me through my first 20 fights and he truly inspired me both inside and out of the ring. I still talk to Robert now on a regular basis. He's a great friend and an awesome person. One of the cool things about that guy-he has that ability to coach you both on and off the mat. He really helps guys turn their lives around. He's one of those people that really lightens up a room. And that's no bullshit.
Jonathan Snowden: He's had some real challenges too. He's coached some interesting characters, your self included. One of the guys that overlapped with you was the late Evan Tanner. What's your best Evan Tanner story?
Chris Leben: (Laughs). Believe it or not, Evan Tanner was very mild mannered, really nice guy. I think his biggest issue was he was just too smart for his own good. He had a tendency to over think things. Every once in awhile he would go into this dark place and he would disappear for awhile when he was drinking real heavy. I never really saw too much of that. The Evan Tanner I knew was at the gym, he was helping people, he was training hard, and he was a positive guy yo be around.
Jonathan Snowden: You talked about Evan and his dark places. And I know you've been there yourself and it ended with you moving to Hawaii. How has that changed you as a person? What is it about Hawaii that attracts you to it?
Chris Leben: The thing about Hawaii is the pace of life, it's the culture, it's the people. A lot of fighters, they go pro, they get good, and they think that they need to move to Vegas. They're in the limelight, they're being seen, they're seeing famous people-to me that's all hype. That's all bullshit. The only thing that really matters is putting time in the gym. For me moving to Hawaii was more about finding my personal space. I got my house out in the country, away from everybody, and I've got my gym. I go in to train, I come home, I stay out of the bar, stay out of the club. Or at least do my best to do that. And it keeps me winning.
Jonathan Snowden: You've got a unique style of fighting, but recently a guy has emerged in the WEC, the Korean Zombie, who is doing your thing. Have you had a chance to see his fight with Leonard Garcia?
Chris Leben: I tell you what's really funny. My tattooist-he was never a fan of the sport. I came in to get a tattoo after my last fight and he's wearing a Korean Zombie t-shirt. That's his new favorite fighter. Pretty funny I thought. Unfortunately between running my gym, training myself, and having as much fun as possible, I don't get a chance to watch all the fights. So I haven't had a chance to watch him, but I have heard some good things about him.
Jonathan Snowden: You fought, famously, twice in two weeks. So now when guys drop out of fights, and they always do, your name gets mentioned. I know you wanted to fight Wanderlei Silva, but you'd have to wait for that one. Anyone else you have an eye on?
Chris Leben: Joe (Silva) told me one more fight and then I could fight Wanderlei Silva. Wanderlei is hurt right now. They want me to fight in November. They threw some names out at me that I wasn't very excited with. As a fighter, they don't help me grow. I think at this stage of the game, if I had somebody I wanted to call out right now, it would probably be Rich Franklin. I'd like to get in there and mix it up with Rich.
Jonathan Snowden: Wow. Great fight and a high profile fight for you. Is that what makes Franklin an attractive fight?
Chris Leben: (Laughs). Kind of funny, but my old coach who let me go for reasons that were my fault, apparently my lifestyle was a little bit too much for him-Rich is now his top student. So, basically, spite I would say.
Jonathan Snowden: (Laughs). Matt Hume huh?
Chris Leben: I am talking about Matt Hume, yeah.
Jonathan Snowden: Tell me about Matt. Someone once told me that Matt Hume would argue with you about whether the sky was blue.
Chris Leben: Matt is Matt. I love him to death. He's a great guy. He really is. But he's a hard ass. If you're going to train with Matt Hume, you're going to train Matt Hume's way. That's all there is to it. I love him and I loved training with him and I think he helped me develop my skills. He helped me take my game to another level. It's just we ended up having to part ways. Now Rich Franklin is his top guy-and I want to fuck him up.
Jonathan Snowden: You're one of the guys who helped take the UFC to the next level of popularity. Now you're doing this event this weekend at Jerry Remy's in Boston. What 's it like to interact with the fans? What do you think about how big this whole thing has gotten?
Chris Leben: That's one of the coolest things about our sport. Fans can still meet the fighters, they can greet the fighters, they can hang out with them. We're right there. In other sports it's not like that. I don't want to say I'm famous, but it's pretty cool when people walk up and say 'Hey Chris, you're my favorite fighter.' I love it, because it makes their day. That's just so cool.
Jonathan Snowden: One of the guys in the main event is someone you know well, Chael Sonnen. What have you thought about the way Chael has promoted this fight? Pretty crazy stuff.
Chris Leben: Here's the bottom line-we're entertainers. Yes we're athletes. But our sport isn't really like basketball or football where the athletes don't really have a face. We're kind of a mix between WWE and boxing. I think Chael's done exactly what he's needed to do-put asses in seats. Whether you want to see him win or you want to see him get crushed, he's made you care.
Jonathan Snowden: You've fought Anderson Silva. He made his name off of you in the UFC. And. of course, you've trained with Chael. How do you see this happening?
Chris Leben: Anderson Silva is Anderson Silva. And God knows we all know what he's done the last five years. But I'll tell you what: Chael is an absolute monster. I've never gone against anybody tougher in the gym. He has by far the best takedowns I've ever seen in my life.
Jonathan Snowden: You've been in with Couture, Henderson, and Lindland. That's a bold statement coming from you.
Chris Leben: It is. It is. But Chael's a fucking monster.
Chris Leben would like to thank TapOut for making his signature shirt, Muscle Pharm, and if anyone is ever in Honolulu, Hawaii, check out his school the Ultimate Fight School.
WHEN: Saturday, August 7th, 2010
9:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Autograph and Photo Session 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM
UFC 117 Live Pay-Per-View starts at 10:00 PM
WHERE: Jerry Remy's Sports Bar & Grill
1265 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215
COST: $30 per person
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leave it to Leben
to call out Franklin. gotta love the balls on him…. that fight would be sick as hell!
YES PLEASE LEBEN V FRANKLYN !!!! even though i like both a lot
" The pain that you carry is the love that you never showed "
As much if a company man a Franklin is, there is no way he takes that fight
Franklin will be facing Griffin, Couture of Jon Jones at LHW.
What's in it for Franklin?
I understand Leben is hot right now, but this is a no-win fight for Rich.
I really don't think it's a stretch
For franklin to make 185. He fought most of his fights in the UFC at 185. Yeah, he’d have to cut down but he’s a professional, and I think if Joe Silva asked him to fight Leben at 185, he’d do it. That said, I really don’t think they want him to fight in that division, because it just doesn’t make sense for him to make a run at the title there for obvious reasons.
I think Rich is done with taking fights that won’t help him move up the 205 ladder.
He wants to make one last run at a title, this time at LHW. That means no more dicking around with a MW fight here, a 195 catchweight fight there, or anymore no name 205ers.
What about Leben fighting up in wight?
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
Based off of no research whatsoever
I’m guessing he’s too short for that.
a kitten dies every time you compare an individual sport to a team sport.
by Marvin Malehooves on Aug 6, 2010 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions
He looked absolutely terrible against Rosholt. I remembered thinking he should have been cut, and maybe he should have. But to tune up Aaron Simpson like that and then to pull off the miracle submission against Akiyama is just amazing.
He’s right to not take a crappy fight in November. He’s clearly earned Silva, but if they won’t give it to him, he should hold out for someone like Okami or Belcher as a co-main event.
I just looked up something
Leben went through a stretch when he lost 4 of 6 fights – three of those losses were to people who were cut by the UFC (Starnes, MacDonald and Rosholt).
Ouch.
What a comeback to beat Akiyama like that!
Leben...
is from that UFC 1 group, though, that helped get the Zuffa era UFC over the hump. So, I think Dana and the boys feel a certain understandable loyalty to them and give them an extra bit of rope.
I like Fedor, it’s just his fans that are intolerable...and his management.
Nice interview Snowden!! Some gold here.
Chael is an absolute monster. I’ve never gone against anybody tougher in the gym. He has by far the best takedowns I’ve ever seen in my life.
Sonnen is a very very good wrestler with some awesome takedown ability… So if Sonnen’s takedowns aren’t enough for Silva does than make people second guess GSP’s chances?
I have no doubt Sonnen will take silva down but
he tends to just leave his limbs and head out there when he does.
by GoldenSt8OfMind on Aug 6, 2010 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions
If Sonnen loses via some reckless submission, I can see it
What if Silva immobilizes on route to a stand up.
Does Silva have a hostiry of doing that?
Henderson held him down pretty well.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
He didn't do a lot of damage though
and look what happened after the stand up / end of round.
Silva walked to his corner with his “I am gonna kill somebody” look (the same one he makes when someone hits him). Soon enough, Hendo is rocked and submitted.
Exactly.
People have a real tendency to take that Hendo takedown out of context. Hendo did nothing with it and it got him nowhere.
Anderson is fully capable of body triangling from the bottom and I would expect him to do so if/when Sonnen gets a takedown. Body triangle and elbow shots from the bottom.
I like Fedor, it’s just his fans that are intolerable...and his management.
Good luck with that because Sonnen in on another level from Hendo’s and his gnp when he gets on top of Silva he’ll be the one doing damage. Him and his body triangle won’t be enough to stop that he needs to work on his bottom game to stop Chael.
"they mad at me, I keep going hard reppin/
cause what's your Rampage to Rashad Evans/"
-Joe Budden (Something To Ride To)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/76866807deabe3c1/
by Nightwhistler on Aug 6, 2010 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions
GSP
has far better standup than Chael so I don’t think how Chael performs will affect anyone’s opinions about GSP/Silva
I agree that GSP has far better stand up than Sonnen,
but I feel that opponent’s stand up ability is pretty much irrelevant when they are fighting Silva.
possibly in regards to actually standing and banging
but it could make Silva much more susceptible to the takedown (GSP). He won’t have to worry about that with Chael.
GSP doesn't have kill shot power and Silva has a sturdy chin
Silva blasts him… But enough about GSP,
New and improved Leben is making himself a lot of new fans. Great to see him turn his life around.
agreed
and he’s evolving into a very good all-around fighter. will be interesting to see who they put him up against next.
No disrespect, just curious
Why do you feel that GSP’s standup is better than Sonnen’s? Outside of the Terry Martin loss where Chael threw in the towel after the second round (ostensibly due to a broken rib), Sonnen wasn’t really stretching the truth too much when he said that no one had beaten him on his feet.
I think GSP probably is the more polished striker, but I don’t necessarily know that he has far better stand up than Chael. Chael just chooses not to use his. Neither one has one punch knockout power. Man, I have to go all the way back to GSP v Jay Hieron to remember a time where GSP really won the fight with his standup.
that's the thing though
Chael won’t give anyone the opportunity to beat him on his feet b/c he knows that is his weakness…..he’s all about getting the fight to the ground.
GSP is the more polished striker = yes, but he also has far better technical ability w/his leg strikes (insert Koscheck, thanks to Phil Nurse), thus why I feel the way I do that GSP has the far superior standup when compared to Chael’s.
i have been on the "gsp would beat anderson" bandwagon for a while
but if anderson is able to avoid sonnens takedowns i’d definetely have to consider changing my views
gsp and chael are very different gsp’s a better striker than chael by a longshot even if we rarely get to see him utilize that striking we know he has it in his arsenal but by no means does his striking and power compare to andersons
gsp would have to win on takedowns against anderson
if anderson can stop chaels takedowns i’d have to say gsp’s chances are slim
who is keizer soze
by Johnathan Willis on Aug 6, 2010 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Even if he can’t stop the takedowns and he is able to get relatively quick standups it will say a lot.
yeah that's true
and i thought about wording it different than i did
i should have said
“if anderson is able to negate chaels wrestling”
who is keizer soze
by Johnathan Willis on Aug 6, 2010 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions
great interview - glad to see him finally getting in the spotlight for positive reasons
Other TUF alumni have shown more technical development as fighters than Leben, but seeing his progress both as a person and as a fighter in the intervening years since Ultimate Fighter S1 has truly been one of the great human interest stories in the sport IMO.
Good interview Jonathan. I’ve always been a big fan of Leben, and I really respect what he’s done with himself.
"Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe."
- Frank Zappa
Thanks. Phone rang at 6:57 AM. Not expecting him on the other end!
by Jonathan Snowden on Aug 6, 2010 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Haha
If that happened to me I’d be like “Who the fuck is Chrisley Ben”?
"Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe."
- Frank Zappa
“Leave the women and children at home, did a ninja warrior bring his wife with him when he was hiding up in the trees about to kill shit?” – Nick Diaz.
http://www.instrength.com
by Tim Burke on Aug 6, 2010 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Really Good interview, sending you a link...
Good interview, first time in a long time I have actually had interest in reading a full interview.
Narcisist aka: Alberto Martinez, owner of URDirt.com.
Hey Snowden--
What the hell happened to the Frank Shamrock interview?
"I have trained to fight an army. There is no way one man can stop me if many cannot." -Georges St. Pierre
Fair question. It’s coming. In the Last 24 hours I’ve interviewed leben, schiavello, And Tim Sylvia. So it’s been hectic.
by Jonathan Snowden on Aug 6, 2010 6:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I thought it might have fallen by the wayside due to scheduling issues or something. Thanks for the update.
"I have trained to fight an army. There is no way one man can stop me if many cannot." -Georges St. Pierre
I did the interview. It’s just a matter of transcribing it.
by Jonathan Snowden on Aug 6, 2010 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Timmay!
Looking forward to that one.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
Contributor for WatchKalibRun.com
Still Subo at Fightlinker.com
by Derek Suboticki on Aug 6, 2010 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Nice get
Great interview. I’d love to see Leben vs. Franklin.
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
Title Change?
I came to read the piece wondering why Chris Leben wanted to fight UFC fans.
by RearNakedSpank on Aug 6, 2010 5:10 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
Leben has come a really long way. Im not a huge fan of his, but I have alot of respect for him.
Your style's like garbage cans meant to be taken out on a weekly basis
Ever since your first record you've been in a state of suspended animation
You look like Snuffleuffagus and Australopithecus
Me cray, you abacus
He could fight him at Franklinweight.
Check out my MMA highlight videos!
http://www.dailymotion.com/WheelchairBandit
195 officially
I want Kim Winslow or Tan Dan to ref Tito Ortiz' next loss.
by MMAInFeRioRiTy on Aug 6, 2010 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Someone should tell him...
…that the title bar on his school’s webpage has an extra “o” in "school. Yes, I am that guy.
How are you gonna ask Leben questions without asking his number 1 nut hugger?
1148 days and counting without a Jon Fitch finsh
by II SMASH II on Aug 6, 2010 5:52 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Chris Leben pic
I was shooting craps at the Venetian after I went to UFC 116 and Leben shows up at the table. He is a really down to earth and we actually made each other some money throwin the dice around for about an hour…..
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
by BigRuss209 on Aug 6, 2010 6:03 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
That's fucking cool
I like when these guys have their feet on the ground and remember where they came from.
There are only two fighters in the world who might be able to defeat Jon Jones: Ken and Ryu.
Are you playing rock, paper, scissors with him?
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
Rec for not giving the cliche fist pose
"Holy Crap Lashley is one Bi black dude. He just looks so immensely thick in that picture."
-Pain
by Barack Lesnar on Aug 6, 2010 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions
By the look of his chosen pose, it was a one in three chance.
Not that I condone facism or any ism for that matter. Isms are in my opinion, not good. A person shouldn't believe in an ism, he should believe in himself.
I quote John Lennon, "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me". Good point there, after all he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. Wouldn't change the fact I have to bum rides off of people.
Hey
You get a lot of shit here, it seems, but this is a good fucking interview.
Also, I think I just became a Leben fan.
There are only two fighters in the world who might be able to defeat Jon Jones: Ken and Ryu.
"Here's the bottom line-we're entertainers"
Yes! There’s a few people on here that just don’t understand this.
These Q&As are great
I’m gonna try not to complain about the next red-meat post-fight take down in oh…24 hours or so from now.
Tatum: I think he's a good man. I like him. I got nothing against him, but I'm definitely gonna make orphans of his children.
Leben seems to be making a transition from drunken bed-pissing mindless stand-n-bang reality show embarrassment to respected elder statesman of the game. Unexpected and pretty cool.
by JRN on Aug 6, 2010 9:32 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
drunken bed-pissing mindless stand-n-bang reality show embarrassment
^^^that is just wonderful. Thank you so much for that.
Honestly.
Awsome.
"I ain't got time to breath."
Watch Tosh.O
Pain don't hurt...
Nice interview. Tis quite astounding that just two months ago people were calling for him to be cut and now people are entertaining thoughts of him fighting Wanderlei, Okami and Franklin. Quite a comeback.
Not that I condone facism or any ism for that matter. Isms are in my opinion, not good. A person shouldn't believe in an ism, he should believe in himself.
I quote John Lennon, "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me". Good point there, after all he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. Wouldn't change the fact I have to bum rides off of people.
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