Another UFC veteran would entertain the idea of boxing either Jake or Logan Paul.
Chris “The Crippler” Leben is one of the biggest stars to come off of the UFC’s long-running series, “The Ultimate Fighter.”
He competed on the first season of the show as a middleweight, a weight class he would stay in for the entirety of his UFC career. Although he didn’t win the six-figure contract on the show, Leben, like many other cast members, was still offered a spot on the promotion’s roster.
Leben has a professional MMA record of 22-12, with 12 wins via KO/TKO, five by submission and five by decision. He fought in the UFC 22 times where he went 12-10. The Crippler holds notable wins over the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Patrick Cote and Yoshihiro Akiyama.
Leben is also known for being the fighter who welcomed Anderson Silva, one of the greatest fighters ever, to the UFC.
After The Crippler retired from MMA in 2014, he returned to action four years later as a bare-knuckle boxer, where he went 3-1. His most recent bout took place during BKFC KnuckleMania in February 2021, knocking out Quentin Henry in the first round. He announced his retirement from combat sports after the bout.
However, in a recent interview with Heavy, The Crippler revealed that he would return to action if he was offered the “right” amount of money to box a celebrity, or specifically one of the Paul brothers.
“I’m still training. I try and stay in decent shape. But you know, I’m getting older, man. I’ve been fighting a long time,” Leben said.
“I mean, if the money’s right, I’ll come back. If you want me to knock out one of these celebrities, one of these Paul brothers, absolutely.
“But other than that, I’m very happily retired. I’m coaching, I’m reffing, I’m judging. I’m embedded in the sport, as it is, just kind of switching, changing my
hats around, from athlete to coach, continuing to progress as a martial artist.”
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Jake Paul Has Fought Twice in 2021, Logan Paul Once
The Pauls have been busy inside the boxing ring this year, with Jake taking on and beating two former MMA champions, former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
On the other end, Logan boxed Floyd Mayweather and the bout went all eight rounds. No winner was determined.
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Leben Finished His MMA Career With 4 Losses
The Crippler fell on hard times at the latter end of his career, dropping five out of six bouts, which included three TKO defeats.
However, the lone victory in the final stretch of Leben’s career was probably his biggest and most notable, knocking out Wanderlei Silva 27 seconds into the first round of their fight at UFC 132 in 2011.
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UFC Legend Chris Leben on Coming Back to Fight Paul Brothers