Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann in the Works for UFC 125
by Nick Thomas on Sep 22, 2010 3:35 PM EDT
in UFC News
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According to mmajunkie.com:
A middleweight bout between Chris Leben and former WEC champion Briann Stann has been targeted for the Jan. 1 UFC 125 card.
Sources close to the event today alerted the tentative plans, though bout agreements have not been signed.
Chris "The Crippler" Leben (25-6)
Win Yoshihiro Akiyama - Submission (Triangle Choke) UFC 116
Win Aaron Simpson - TKO (Punches) TUF 11 Finale
Win Jay Silva - Decision (Unanimous) UFC FN 20
Brian "All American" Stann (9-3)
Win Mike Massenzio - Submission (Triangle Choke) UFC Versus 2
Loss Phil Davis - Decision (Unanimous) UFC 109
Win Rodney Wallace - Decision (Unanimous) TUF 10 Finale
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I came here to post this exact statement
Doesn’t seem fair to me. The problem is a lot of the other guys at the top of the division are either on the shelf or hurt.
Still, considering the loyalty the UFC showed to Leben when he was struggling (remember the lost to Jake Rosholt?) I guess he shouldn’t complain about not being on track for a title shot.
Totally and doesn't seem like much of a reward for being a company man.
Would have been much better for him ranking wise to fight Wandy or Maia
by squaresphere on Sep 22, 2010 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions
his reward for being a company man
was not getting cut after losing 4 of 6.
But I certainly see your point.
Stann's a former WEC light heavy champ.
With a 9-3 record. No slouch.
He’s not in the picture, but he’s been to the dance, yo.
Koscheck eats it.
Former WEC champ doesn't mean much
Fucking Gabe Ruediger was lightweight champ for WEC at one point.
Leben all day.
Got the Summer hatin on me cus I'm hotter than the sun. Got the Spring hatin on me cus I ain't never sprung. Winter hatin on me cus I'm colder than ya'll; and I will never I will never I will never Fall.
The mat is my church, the ground is my heaven, Jiu-Jitsu is my religion. And once you hit the ground you're in my world. My world is like the ocean, I’m like a shark and most people don't even know how to swim - Draculino
by Patrick Tenney on Sep 22, 2010 3:39 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
It does seem like a step down. Maybe Joe and Dana are setting him up for a back door title shot.
Get him 4 in a row then a guy that’s at the top of the divivison if he wins he gets teh shot
Drink to remember, drink to forget.
by doonerthesooner on Sep 22, 2010 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions
This is a match up for the sake of the fight...
…neither of these guys is in current MW title conversation. Leben might get himself there with a win over Stann, but at this point, with Silva still atop the division, he’s not going to get his shot before: Okami, Belfort, Marquadt, Sonnen, at a minimum.
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
This isn't a gimmie fight
Jesus people are hating on Stann here. This is the same Chris Leben who got put to sleep from Jake Rosholt two fights ago. This matchup is fine.
"I am a man who pisses largely and frequently, which they say is a sign of great mental activity" -Henry Miller-
ya seriously sucha bunch of bandwagon jumpers. I’d take Rosholt all day over Leben again.
Chael Sonnen: Last time I defeated the myth, this time I'll defeat the man.
So...hyped...
by frosnt1 on Sep 22, 2010 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Leben was tremendously out of shape for that fight. It was so well known that the betting line changed tremendously. Not saying Rosholt couldn’t and wouldn’t beat him again, but Leben has looked as good as he ever has these last three fights.
Meh. Simpson gassed hardcore after winning the first round. He was sort of back and forth with Akiyama until the triangle, and Akiyama is a pretty undersized MW. Leben is not really that good at anything and he could easily lose this.
Chael Sonnen: Last time I defeated the myth, this time I'll defeat the man.
So...hyped...
Stann could win this fight for sure, but it still does seem like a step back.
If not someone higher in contendership than someone with a bigger name ya know?
Drink to remember, drink to forget.
by doonerthesooner on Sep 22, 2010 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Leben is not really that good at anything
Except taking punishment.
by MMAussie on Sep 22, 2010 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
and haymakers
How the hell does he catch so many people with them?
Dear audio diary: Today I may have accidentally registered myself as a sex offender! WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY LIFE
- T-Rex
you are
right.
I feel the exact same way.
He gets knocked out by Silva and he doesn’t have a chin anymore.
Now Silva sucks for some reason, and they wanna ride the hype train.
Even at a blog as good as this one… You guys can be like…. Children.
Public Opinion… Jesus. It reminds me of politics…
“Lets just say what everyone else is saying!!! Sounds right!!!”
Jackie Treehorn treats his objects like women, man.
by soulrebel5447 on Sep 23, 2010 1:44 AM EDT up reply actions
This I like.
Hope Wandy gets someone else than Leben, I like those two way too much to see them lose.
Really?
I guess the division is sort of clogged up right now but this seems like a no-win situation for Leben. If he wins he beat Brian Stann, which is not that impressive coming off Akiyama. if he loses, he should have beat Brian Stann, and some of the wind will be taken out of his sails. Honestly even if this fight is close it’ll take some momentum away from him, unless maybe it’s super exciting. Luckily that’s never out of the question in a Leben fight.
Not cool
Also, high-end one-dimensional wrestlers are Leben’s kryptonite, and bloody boring.
"I'd love to be a Cheick Kongo looking brother that could actually move and do a lot of funky stuff - Jiu Jitsu, takedowns, kicks and stuff." - Jon Jones.
"This is the internet: you either have soul-stopping power or you’re a pillow-fisted pansy. There is no middle ground." - woomikee
Is that what Stann is now? I haven’t seen many of his fights since he came to the UFC, he’s been undercarding as of late.
Didn't that post?
I don’t follow…
He responded to, “I say go to Texas and the The Battle Of The Juicers: Sonnen vs. Leben”.
It should be a good fight.
I don’t think Leben has his hopes set on a title at this point, and a striker vs. striker matchup should be entertaining at least.
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
I really would've liked to see Grove/Leben
This ain’t doing it for me. Leben by UD.
Mo Johnston finally fired. Let the house cleaning and road to success begin.
Filler fight until Wand...but requested by Leben
Pure speculation, but I think this is Leben’s doing. He wants to keep fighting, maintain that fan momentum he built with his back to back wins, stay away from ring rust. Wand vs Leben will happen, but in the meantime, Leben stays active against an opponent he should beat.
So Leben beats a guy headlining UFC 120 and gets Brian Stann as his next fight?? Hardly seems rewarding for him.
Furthermore why on earth does Akiyama get a “step up” in competition and the perks of headlining a card after losing. Very unfair.
by AHutch on Sep 22, 2010 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
People are seeing this the wrong way.
It’s not a step down for Leben, it’s a step up for Stann.
The way I see it, Stann wants a fight that can possibly get him off the undercard, and Leben needs a fight while waiting for Wandy. Win/win.
If Leben wins, he’s on a genuine streak. If he loses, Stann pushes into the picture.
All that aside, dudes will throw all night. Someone hits the canvas early.
Koscheck eats it.
I'
"Last time a Russian hit a brother that hard, Ivan Drago killed Apollo Creed"- Some guy on Sherdog, referencing Fedor vs Rogers
DAMMIT!!!!
I was gonna say I’m sort of torn on this fight.
I’m glad Wandy and Leben aren’t fighting each other because I’m huge fans of both of them but I can’t help but feel that Leben deserves a bigger-named opponent.
"Last time a Russian hit a brother that hard, Ivan Drago killed Apollo Creed"- Some guy on Sherdog, referencing Fedor vs Rogers
I'm not happy with this.
I hate the “Greg Jackson makes guys fight boring” meme and actively campaign against it, but Brian Stann is one instance where it’s fucking true. He went into the ring against Cantwell thinking “what can I do to prevent a fight from breaking out?” I’m worried that he’ll have the same approach to Leben.
God, I should just change my sig to ’BE’s unofficial turd in the punchbowl.’
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
I second that motion.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Sep 22, 2010 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Which motion?
The boring motion or the turd motion?
When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail." - Jack Burton
The latter.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Sep 22, 2010 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm sorry for my negativity.
So here’s a picture of an adorable otter.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
by pdl on Sep 22, 2010 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Did you take the last beer?
Imagine an African white christ from space
by Barack Lesnar on Sep 22, 2010 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Horrible. Ugh.
Leben deserves better than this fight.
And then God created Saturn... and he liked it, so he put a ring on it.
Twitter me and what not.
This is foolish. Leben is at his marketability peak right now. Stick him in a semi-main event against Wanderlei, and if Wanderlei isn’t available for now, wait. Stann is no gimme fight, and if he sends Leben back down the ladder, it’s a missed opportunity. Didn’t we learn from 2007 – strike while the iron is hot.
HeadKickLegend.com
Leben loses this
and then the UFC tries to propel Stann. He’s their military poster boy and if he could make some moves in the MW division he would be a nice representative to the mainstream.
When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail." - Jack Burton
WTF
Really Brian stann ???he is a nice guy and all but this fight makes no sense for the Crippler win or lose.I would have passed this one up If I was his management .Wait it out for Wanderlei I hope this is a bad rumor lol
You know his people see it as a squash.
and he’s not going to turn down a fight, especially one he’ll think will be an easy win.
It’s a placeholder, for sure, but it doesn’t hurt anyone involved.
Koscheck eats it.
Maybe if we bitch enough on the internet
they’ll change the fight. It worked for Franklin/Henderson II, didn’t it?
"There's this image that you have, this interior image of something that's absolutely perfect, and that's your signpost, your guide. And you'll never get there. But without it you'll never get anywhere."
yea that actually did work
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
Except for the fact that it was never officially signed, and Henderson wasn’t even under contract and never ended up signing another contract.
by Swordslasher on Sep 22, 2010 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions
touche dude
all thats true
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
No justice in this world
Akiyama loses and gets a main event slot.
Leben wins and takes a step back in competition (no offense to Stann, whom I love.)
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
by mburtoni on Sep 22, 2010 4:59 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Possibilities
a) After doing the company a huge favor by stepping in on extreme short notice to fight Akiyama, they’re giving Leben a relatively easy fight that’ll let him stay busy, pick up a nice paycheck, and (most likely) continue his momentum.
b) They want to set up a bigger fight (Wandy?), but don’t want to leave Leben on the shelf building up rust and not earning money. So this keeps him busy and builds some more momentum for him without too much risk.
c) Both a & b.
d) Joe Silva hates Leben and hates us, so he’s punishing Leben for doing the UFC a huge solid by giving him a low profile fight against a moderately dangerous opponent, hoping Leben loses so that he loses the possibility of making a highly marketable fight in the future, wasting the momentum Leben has built, and pissing off the fans.
Obviously, it’s d, right?
by Verklemptomaniac on Sep 22, 2010 5:13 PM EDT reply actions
I put up an angry rant about this over at Hammer Fisted, which I’ll just put an excerpt from here since I know you guys have all types of rules about linking other places and the amount of content and all that:
No matter what you might think of Leben as a human being, nobody can deny his recent accomplishments as a fighter. Just in case you have the memory of an Alzheimer’s patient or an inability to access Leben’s Wiki page, I’ll quickly review what he’s done lately in the Octagon.
- Currently riding a three-fight win streak
- Awarded Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night during the same stretch
- Pulled off a come-from-behind victory against a Top 10-ranked opponent in Akiyama
- Fought twice in the span of two weeks, finishing both opponents
This is the type of resume that warrants a co-main event slot against a big name opponent like, say, Wanderlei "The F*cking Axe Murderer" Silva. It isn’t the type of resume that deserves an all but meaningless fight against an exciting yet unaccomplished fighter like Stann. No disrespect to the former Marine Captain, but Leben simply deserves more at this point.
Silva is out for a while.
This is cleary a filler fight until Silva returns. What everybody wants, including the UFC, and what is possible are two different things. This fight is possible now. The Wand/Leben will be possible in the Spring.
stanns a better analyst than fighter
i see this turning into a brawl though and lebens one of the best brawlers in the sport
leben by 2nd tko
We have a saying back home that if your coming on, COME ON!!!!
Weird fight for Leben but maybe the UFC wants to make sure that Leben is taking stuff seriously again and doesn’t want to risk him in a highter profile fight for now.
"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/
Or maybe they're doing Stann a solid while keeping Leben warm for Wandy.
I have no objection to either.
Koscheck eats it.
Typical UFC trying to restore their "order"
They didn’t expect Leben to beat Akiyama. I’m sure they didn’t like it either (Akiyama was their big Japan & Korea figurehead). So they try to pretend it didn’t happen and give Akiyama a headlining bout and knock Leben back down.
I disagree with this fight unless its to bide time for the Wanderlei fight. Cause that HAS to happen.
by your mom is beautiful on Sep 22, 2010 7:26 PM EDT reply actions
I wonder if anyone will note that
Stann is a highly decorated Marine infantry officer and combat veteran, an Private Leben got a bad conduct discharge from the Army for going awol :)
Not that this will make a difference in the cage. I love both guys, just a funny contrast when you think about it.
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
he was
my brother’s CO
they said they always wanted him to talk about his fights
when he gave speeches, especially at the Marine Corp ball.
I think, me personally. :-) I resemble Leben a tad more.
So does my brother.
Jackie Treehorn treats his objects like women, man.
by soulrebel5447 on Sep 23, 2010 1:40 AM EDT up reply actions
Leben's skull has the density of a 20 year old Christmas Fruit Cake
Stann ain’t doing shit to that.
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
Silva
Did.
And Stann has the wrecking ball fists.
Enjoy the possibilities.
Jackie Treehorn treats his objects like women, man.
by soulrebel5447 on Sep 23, 2010 1:40 AM EDT up reply actions
I was really looking forward to seeing Leben fight Wanderlei SIlva next. Brian Stann is coming off a good win over Massenzio, but Leben is definitely a big step up from Massenzio especially with the momentum Leben has right now.
Check out MMA For You at http://www.youtube.com/user/Gobusiness123 for MMA reviews, predictions, and analysis.
It seems that
Yall are some Leben nutthuggerz.
Atleast in majority. Don’t count Stann out.
As my brother’s former CO and a man who has trained with my Sensei
I WILL be pulling for him.
and predict that the fight, will be a great one.
Jackie Treehorn treats his objects like women, man.
Not Too Upset About This
As long as Leben pulls it off and we get to see Leben vs. Wanderlei. That is the only fight I can see contending with Leben vs. Akiyama for fight of the year.
Stanns second fight at middleweight. Well he has Greg Jacksons camp behind him. That could spell danger for Leben. They will likely be bringing in a pretty decent gameplan against Leben. I am glad that Leben is staying busy. This will be good for him. Good for fighters to keep in shape. Stann is a tough fight though. I’m surprised so many people are counting him out. Hope Leben is able to take this one.
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