UFC middleweight Chris Leben was arrested in Honolulu on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence after losing control of his truck and crashing into the wall of a highway off-ramp at approximately 2:00 AM Tuesday morning. Leben is also said to have been driving without insurance or a license. He was released from custody after posting a thousand-dollar bond and has been given a court date of November 22nd to appear in front of a judge relating to the matter.
This week’s incident is not the first time “The Crippler” has been incarcerated for DUI. Leben was also put behind bars in Oregon for a little more than a month in 2008 for a charge linked to an earlier case involving the same offense.
The arrest could not have come at much worse a time for Leben, who has won his last three bouts and is currently scheduled to face Brian Stann at UFC 125 on New Year’s Day. However, it remains possible potential litigation or sentencing associated with the case could affect his availability for the event. Similar Posts:
As has been the case in past years, the UFC is once again slated to provide a stacked card for fans to ring in the New Year with. Though a number of fights have been rumored for the event, the UFC has now officially announced six pairings for the star-studded show including a headlining title-bout.
Lightweight champ Frank Edgar will defend his strap against the only individual to beat him, Gray Maynard, in the evening’s main event. Edgar lost a unanimous decision to Maynard in April 2008 before going on to win six straight bouts including two consecutive wins over former title-holder BJ Penn. Comparably, Maynard has won five fights in a row over a list of opponents featuring Nate Diaz, Roger Huerta, and most recently Ken Florian.
Also scheduled to see action on January 1st, 2011 in Las Vegas, Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson will settle their personal differences in the cage and help sort out the heavyweight contendership picture in the process. “Big Country” recently poked fun at Carwin’s alleged involvement in a steroid distribution ring with Carwin responding by taking verbal jabs at Nelson’s physique.
In addition to Edgar vs. Maynard II and Nelson vs. Carwin, the other “UFC 125 – Resolution” match-ups confirmed by the company are as follows:
Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera Chris Leben vs. Brian StannSimilar Posts:
UFC light-heavyweight fighter “The Polish Experiment” himself, Krzysztof Soszynski (21-10-1) will host today’s UFC Fight Club Q&A session in San Diego, Calif. You can watch it streamed live beginning at 5 PM EST (2 PM PST) and then catch the live weigh-ins for “UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko” afterwords.
Visit UFC.com/Live to catch the Q& A with Soszynski and the weigh-ins after.
Soszynski is coming off a second round loss to “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar at UFC 116, a back-to-back rematch between both men after Bonnar lost the first bout via TKO (cut) due to an inadvertent headbutt. Their UFC 116 bout had Bonnar stopping “The Polish Experiment” via TKO (punches) at 3:08 of the second, a fight which earned both men the “Fight of the Night” honor. An award that was also won by the co-main event headliners Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama.
“The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva continues to improve both his MMA game and those of other fighters through his seminars such as the one he recently did in Nashville. Silva’s knowledge of the game is hard to find, and his personality makes him a favorite for MMA fighters and fans to train with. Wanderlei takes some time to talk about Chris Leben, who should be his next opponent. That should be a great fight.
MMA ref Josh Rosenthal had a huge number of fans questioning why he didn’t stop the fight between Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar. He explains himself fairly well, but Carwin fans will continue to point out that had the situation been reversed that Lesnar would have got the call. Agree or disagree?
MMA Live recaps Brock Lesnar’s come-from-behind triumph over Shane Carwin at UFC 116. Lesnar’s next opponent, Cain Velasquez joins the guys from San Jose to assess his chances. Chris Leben checks in following his second win in as many weeks.
Fighters Only is reporting that UFC british middleweight fighter Michael Bisping is set to take on Japanese superstar Yoshihiro Akiyama as the main event bout for UFC 120 in October. According to the report one of the two sides has already signed the fight agreement, and the other side will complete shortly and then the match will be officially announced.
Bisping will look to build on his victory over Dan Miller at UFC 114, and fighting on British soil should provide some extra motivation. Akiyama will try to overcome a loss to Chris Leben suffered at UFC 116, and if possible bring back the “Sexyama” MMA fans love.
The MMA News will report back on this story as news comes out.
Should referee Josh Rosenthal have stopped UFC 116’s main event in the first round? Can you name an overall card that was more entertaining than last weekend’s show? Is Chris Leben a “Top 10” middleweight? How likely is it that Cain Velasquez will beat Brock Lesnar when they square off later this year?
Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!
If you’re reading these lines you are back in the friendly digital confines of “Grappling with Issues”, our site’s resident Friday feature highlighting insight and opinion from Adam Tool and myself on six subjects plucked from the Mixed Martial Arts landscape. However, just because we staffers get the fancy set-up, please don’t feel precluded from dishing out your own thoughts on each matter in the comments section at the bottom of the column…
Was there a more entertaining MMA event than UFC 116 in the past twelve months?
Tool: For my money I would say no. There were plenty of enjoyable events in the last year (UFC 110 and WEC 48 come to mind) but I can’t think of a single thing wrong with the show we saw on Saturday. All the fights were exciting, the main event lived up to the hype, and there was nothing to complain about in regards to the judging and/or officiating. Some events will feature one great back-and-forth battle, and on this card we got four. Simply put, if you didn’t enjoy UFC 116 then you aren’t a fan of MMA.
Some of my favorite moments from the evening took place outside of the actual fights during the moments before and after the individual rounds. I won’t soon forget the dejected look on Kurt Pellegrino’s face before the third round, as he was a man who had clearly already been beaten. I also enjoyed the way Stephan Bonnar refused to touch gloves before his battle with Krzysztof Soszynski, only to change his mind and then touch gloves at the start of the second round. Who can forget Chris Leben raising his arms and feeding off the crowd as he went into the third round with Yoshihiro Akiyama? Then at the end of evening we got Brock Lesnar smiling at the crowd instead of snarling into the camera as he did back at UFC 100. These little moments combined with the stellar action from each fight made this one of the greatest events in mixed-martial arts history.
Conlan: No, and though the sights and sounds of UFC 116 are admittedly still fresh in my mind, I suspect it would take a bit of research to find a more entertaining card in the past three years (if not longer). As Tool said, the event had something for everyone – comeback victories, surprising finishes, brutal knockouts, jiujitsu wizardry, heated exchanges, and a bit of blood to boot. On top of the memorable moments Adam listed I’d also add Gerald Harris’ brain-rattling slam, Ricardo Romero enduring Seth Petruzelli’s power before shredding his arm with a slick submission, Bonnar’s look into the camera after his win and post-fight speech, Leben’s blank-stare brawling, and Lesnar not only escaping Shane Carwin’s early onslaught but also showing his improved ground attack en route to successfully defending his title. UFC 116 was the perfect mixture of entertainment and athletic art, and definitely a show that will stand out from its peers for a long, long time.
Using a percentage, how likely is it Cain Velasquez will knock Brock Lesnar off of his heavyweight throne?
Tool: I’ll go with 75%. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t bet against Lesnar in any fight these days, especially now that he’s answered some very important questions about his heart and his submission skills. Even though Lesnar overcame his greatest challenge to date this past weekend, I still think Velasquez has his number.
One issue Lesnar still has is his striking. He’s got no head movement to speak of, and outside of that straight right hand he hasn’t got any real weapons in his stand-up arsenal. On the opposite end we’ve got Velasquez whose stand-up has looked better with each appearance in the Octagon. He’s got a great stance, and while his power may not match Shane Carwin’s, he’s far more precise when he throws. Go back and check out that laser of a right hook that floored Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and then watch the pinpoint accurate punches Velasquez threw to finish the job.
The other major factor that will come into play is the wrestling, as that’s the skill Lesnar relies most upon to beat his opponents. It’s safe to say that Lesnar and Velasquez represent the highest level of wrestling in the heavyweight division, and I’ll be interested to see if either man can take the other down. Lesnar’s size advantage could play a part, but we can’t sell Velasquez short. Even if Brock can take Cain down, I don’t believe he’ll be able to keep him there. If the fight stays on the feet it’s all the more likely that it will be Cain’s fight to lose.
Conlan: Since I did so good by giving Fabricio Werdum a “1%” chance of beating Fedor Emelianenko I assume my opinion on this particular topic carries a lot of weight in the MMA community. That being said, I think Velasquez has a 47% chance of becoming UFC champ once he and Lesnar eventually lock horns.
Tool has done a nice job breaking down the finer points of each heavyweight’s abilities, and I don’t disagree with any aspect of his assessment beyond his certainty Velasquez will beat Lesnar. Both have shown clear progression from fight to fight, including improved ground-work and an immense amount of heart displayed after enduring early scares. Each is also a threat to score a knockout with a well-placed punch for different reasons (technique/power). Cain’s striking is more precise and diverse than Brock’s, as you might expect from someone who weighs 30-40 pounds less, and he definitely has the tools in his singlet to give the champ a real test when it comes to wrestling. On the flip-side, Lesnar’s combination of size and athleticism is remarkably unique in a division generally featuring men who are typically either fast or big/strong, not both.
Their upcoming title bout should be a close one with each having minimal advantages over the other. However, I think it has to be pointed out the match-up will be Velasquez’s first crack at a belt while half of Lesnar’s career fights have involved gold. As such, I’m giving him a razor-thin nod to beat the American Kickboxing Academy phenom.
Who on the DREAM 15 card would you most like to see inside the Octagon? Include a match-up as well.
Tool: Well if he was actually on the card the easy answer would be Alistair Overeem. DREAM officials announced he would be fighting, Overeem denied it, and yet DREAM is still saying that he’ll be there. I’m inclined to believe the fighter over the promotion, so any “Ubereem” fans hoping to catch a glimpse of their hero may as well just catch up on their sleep Friday night.
As for the fighters that are actually confirmed for the show, my pick would have to be Gegard Mousasi. Obviously this isn’t a hard choice as Mousasi represents one of the best fighters in the world to have never set foot in the Octagon. His stock has certainly fallen a bit since the loss to “King Mo” Lawal but he’s still one of the most exciting fighters in the light heavyweight division. If he were to be signed tomorrow and brought into the UFC I would match him up with Thiago Silva. Silva is a respectable name and a perfect stylistic match-up for Mousasi, and a fight between the two would have a great chance at picking up “Fight of the Night” honors.
Conlan: He may not be the hottest prospect after being dominated by Gilbert Melendez but of the entire DREAM 15 group I’d most like to see Shinya Aoki test his skills in the UFC’s iconic eight-sided cage. I understand the logic behind Tool’s choice of Mousasi, but I’d personally think “The Dreamcatcher” needs a little more experience at 205-pounds before attempting to crack the upper echelon of the UFC’s flagship division. On the other hand, Aoki has competed against a number of top lightweights and come out on the winning end of things more often than not. His jiujitsu is elite, he’s got a colorful personality, and signing him would help Zuffa further reestablish their reputation in the Far East. Sure, his less-than stellar wrestling would cost him a bout or two along the way, as it did against Melendez, but that’s nothing a little clever match-making couldn’t prolong from happening.
As far as an opponent goes, my “dream” choice would be B.J. Penn simply to see what would unfold as soon as both hit the mat and started grappling. However, Aoki would likely need a few wins in the Octagon before earning a shot at “The Prodigy”, so in that regard I’d select Tyson Griffin as his opening foe. Griffin has the name-recognition to earn Aoki the Zuffa Zombies’ respect were he to defeat him, while also having the wrestling prowess and stand-up to provide a significant threat to the spandex-clad superstar in the eyes of hardcore fans. The pairing would almost certainly result in an entertaining display of action making Aoki’s Octagon debut a memorable, if not successful, one.
TRUE/FALSE – Chris Leben is a top 10 middleweight.
Conlan: True or false, you can’t give a wrong answer on this topic because rankings are for the most part subjective. For that reason “Top 10” lists vary from person to person, as every individual has a different way of weighing the numerous circumstances involved in. Where this particular subject is concerned, I’ll say “false”, though “The Crippler” is certainly on the cusp of cracking my collection of top ten middleweights. When you run down the 185-pound pool there are a few clear-cut entries deserving a spot without question, but the water gets a little murky in the 8-10 range leaving room for Leben after two solid performances against a pair of respected opponents in a span of three weeks. If he comes out Zombie-smile in tow after scrapping with Wanderlei Silva, who he called out on the heels of beating Yoshihiro Akiyama and will likely get as long as “The Axe Murderer” doesn’t run into a problem during recovery from his recent surgeries, then he’s absolutely a “Top 10” guy for me. However, as of right now he’s in the 12-14 range.
Tool: Brendhan’s absolutely right in stating that all rankings are subjective, but then again this is an opinion column wherein everything we say is subjective. As for the question itself I’m tempted to go with “true.” Leben’s UFC career has been full of ups and downs, and we certainly can’t ignore the fact that it wasn’t that long ago when he was choked out by Jake Rosholt. While “The Crippler” may not have the most impressive win streak to hang his credentials on, he does have some impressive wins over solid competition. Akiyama has been hanging around the bottom rungs of the top ten rankings for awhile so a win over him certainly has to count for something. Plenty of sites have Jorge Santiago in their top ten list, but we can’t forget that he was on the receiving end of a devastating Leben knockout during his brief stint in the UFC. Alessio Sakara is riding a nice hot streak at the moment but he too was separated from consciousness courtesy of Leben. The point is that while I don’t envision Leben climbing his way towards contendership anytime soon, he certainly deserves to be considered amongst the top level of fighters in the UFC’s middleweight division.
If we assume that the winner of the upcoming Kenny Florian/Gray Maynard fight gets the next shot at the lightweight belt, who would you put George Sotiropoulos against in a potential #1 contender’s bout?
Conlan: Though possibly a dark-horse due to his relative lack of widespread name recognition, I think a deserving candidate for such a slot would be Evan Dunham (assuming he gets by Sean Sherk at UFC 119). Dunham looked extremely sharp against Tyson Griffin, has a well-rounded skill-set to match Sotiropoulos’, and includes the added benefit of a spotless record where promotional purposes are concerned. In fact, I’m not sure there are a lot of other logical choices unless the UFC goes out and somehow signs a top lightweight like Eddie Alvarez or Gilbert Melendez, as the bulk of the company’s notable 155-pounders aren’t too far removed from a losing performance.
Tool: I can certainly get behind a potential match-up with Dunham, although in between Brendhan sending me his answers and me writing mine it was announced that Dunham would instead be welcoming Sean Sherk back to the Octagon. A win over Sherk would certainly put Dunham right into the mix of contenders and a meeting with Sotiropoulos would make even more sense then.
Looking at the rest of the UFC’s lightweight roster it’s clear that the most credible fighters are the four guys fighting at UFC 118. Therefore I’d have no problem with Sotiropoulos meeting up with the loser of the Florian/Maynard bout, or perhaps even the loser of the Frank Edgar/BJ Penn title rematch. The only other opponent I could see propelling Sotiropoulos to a title shot would be perennial gatekeeper Clay Guida (assuming Guida can get by Rafael Dos Anjos next month). In any case it may be a few months before Sotiropoulos finds out who his next opponent is, as pretty much any other match-up would represent a step backwards in competition for the Aussie.
Would you have disagreed with the result of the main event if referee Josh Rosenthal had stopped the fight in the first round?
Conlan: It would have depended on Lesnar’s immediate reaction after the stoppage. If Brock sprung up foaming at the mouth, full of energy and arguing the call I reckon I would have been steamed at an early stoppage. Had he remained on the canvas, curled up and confused, then I would have applauded the bout’s initial action and Rosenthal’s stoppage of it. Since Lesnar was able to recover/defend without absorbing more than a few cinder-blocks to his head before ultimately showing his improved ability on the ground supported by the wrestling technique making him a NCAA champ, it appears clear Rosenthal made the correct call by allowing things to continue after a few tense moments on the mat and he should be applauded for his decision. It’s not as if fans were watching Cris “Cyborg Santos” vs. Jan Finney II or something.
Tool: While watching that first round I was quite literally on the edge of my seat, as Rosenthal was right on top of the action and seemed to be very close to stepping in. Had he done so I don’t believe there would have been a huge outcry of injustice from the MMA community, even if Lesnar had stood right up and argued the decision. I’ll go one step further and make the assumption that if this hadn’t been the main event and a huge title fight, Rosenthal probably would have pulled the trigger and awarded Carwin the win. I certainly have no way to know this for sure. I just know that usually when one fighter delivers 50 or so unanswered punches to his opponent’s head, that fight ends with a stoppage. The end result shows us that Rosenthal made the right call in allowing the fight to continue, but it’s still intriguing to think of how different the MMA landscape would be right now had he made a different decision on Saturday night.
Fresh off his TKO win in Strikeforce Challengers last week, SportFight founder and MMA superstar Matt “The Law” Lindland has put together yet another adrenaline-pumping night of mixed martial arts action at the Theater of the Clouds on Saturday, July 10th at 7p. SportFight XXVIII: Boiling Point will offer up a stacked fight card featuring some of the most skilled and exciting athletes from both the Northwest and beyond.
This installment of SportFight will also have a distinct international flavor, featuring two top Brazilian fighters: the nephew of Hermes Franka—Lucca Franka taking on Japanese sensation Eddie Matsuura.
There will be two belts on the line at Middle Weight, Casey Manrique takes on Damian Dantibo.
For the Heavy Weight Title, Daniel Stewart of Team Quest Faces the California sensation DJ Linderman.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had this much talent on a card before,” says Lindland, President of SportFight, LLC. “We’re flying in some top international fighters, in addition to some of the best free agent fighters out there. We’re talent deep, and we’re heavyweight deep. On paper, this could be one of the better shows that we’ve had.
“Top Matchups: Main Event – Heavy Weight Championship
Daniel Stewart (5-1), Team Quest/Newport, OR vs. DJ Linderman (7-1), Yreka, CA
“I like this heavy weight match-up – both these guys have power in both hands and they can both wrestle,” noted Matt Lindland. “This fight will be action packed. It’s scheduled for five rounds but don’t plan on this fight going to the judges’ card.”
Co-Main Event-Middle Weight Championship
Casey Manrique faces Damian Dantibo in this action-packed match-up as these two undefeated fighters meet up for the SportFight Middle Weight title
Fight Card: Main Event – Heavyweight Championship Heavyweight
Daniel Stewart (5-1), Team Quest/Newport, OR vs. DJ Linderman (7-1), Yreka, CA
Co-Main Event–Middleweight Welterweight
Casey Manrique (5-0), Springfield, OR vs. Damian Dantibo (5-0), Eugene, OR
Lightweight
Lucca Franka, Fortaleza-Brazil VS Eddie Matsuura, Omiya Japan fighting out of Fisticuffs Gym
Middle weight
Ray Armstrong, Battle Ground, WA VS John Clift Milwaukie, OR
More fights TBA
About SportFight
Founded in 2003 by Matt Lindland and Randy Couture, SportFight is the leading mixed martial arts promotion in the northwestern United States. Together with its subsidiary brands, “Proving Grounds” and “Clash at the Casino,” SportFight has produced more than 30 live MMA events in Oregon, Nevada and Colorado.
SportFight was Oregon’s first sanctioned mixed martial arts promotion and has served as a showcase for many of the sport’s emerging stars and best-known veterans, such as Sean Sherk, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Jeff Monson, Chris Leben, Ed Herman, Gesias “JZ” Calvancanti, Paul Daley, Chael Sonnen and Dennis Hallman. Furthermore, SportFight has graduated fighters to every major MMA organization, including the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride FC, K-1, the International Fight League, BodogFIGHT and Elite XC.
Check out SportFight TV every Saturday at 10 pm on Comcast SportsNet. SportFight has an extensive library of event footage and highlight compilations that are available on DVD at Wal-Mart, Hollywood Video and many other retail locations. For more information, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.sportfight.tv.\” www.sportfight.tv.
Tickets are priced at $132, $48, $35 & $20. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Rose Quarter Box Office (M-F 10a 5p), all participating Safeway/ TicketsWest outlets, by calling 877.789.ROSE (7673), or at ComcastTIX.com. For more information please visit RoseQuarter.com. Prices do not include service charges. For Groups of 10 and more please call 503.963.4400. To receive event notices, pre-sale opportunities, discounts and prizes join our free Rose Quarter CyberClub at RoseQuarter.com.
UFC middleweight Chris Leben was arrested in Honolulu on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence after losing control of his truck and crashing into the wall of a highway off-ramp at approximately 2:00 AM Tuesday morning. Leben is also said to have been driving without insurance or a license. He was released from custody after posting a thousand-dollar bond and has been given a court date of November 22nd to appear in front of a judge relating to the matter.
A middleweight bout between Chris Leben and former WEC champion Briann Stann has been targeted for the Jan. 1 UFC 125 card.
