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The Ultimate Fighter season one alum and longtime UFC fan favorite Chris Leben had a storybook ending to his combat sports career last Friday, however he’s seemingly prepared to write another chapter should the right opportunity present itself.
“The Crippler” fought in the UFC for nearly a decade, fighting the likes of Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping. Leben (22-12) retired from mixed martial arts in 2013 after his loss to Uriah Hall at UFC 168, and around five years later, he transitioned to the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
He went 3-1 as a bare-knuckle boxer, with all his wins coming via KO or TKO. In what was billed as the last fight of his combat sports career, Leben took on Quentin Henry during BKFC Knucklemania on February 5. It was a wild brawl, and in typical Crippler fashion, Leben knocked out Henry in the first round.
A few days after his retirement bout, Leben was asked by a fan on social media to fight YouTube star and boxer Jake Paul. “The Problem Child” has drawn the ire of many combat sports fans with his brash personality and controversial marketing schemes. Paul is 2-0 as a boxer and is set to box former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren on April 17.
Leben responded to the fan, saying that he would consider coming out of retirement. The Crippler wrote “I might consider a return. I’m available to fight dwarfs and dweebs!!”
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Leben Said His Victory Over Henry Was ‘A Beautiful Way’ to End His Career
After the fight on Friday night, Leben confirmed his retirement, saying that there was “nothing else” he could add to his career.
“The fight was exactly what I wanted,” Leben said at the BKFC Knucklemania post-fight press conference via MMA Fighting. “I knew when Quentin got up that I was in trouble. If you watched his other fights, that’s when this guy gets going is once he gets hit real hard. I knew we were going to start slugging at that point. You guys can probably tell by my nose he landed some good shots as well. There’s not much else to say.
“It was a beautiful way for me to cap my career. Long time in combat sports. It’s bittersweet but being part of this organization, finishing my career with a bare-knuckle knockout, there’s nothing else I could add to it.”
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Leben Was Part of the Industry-Changing Television Show ‘The Ultimate Fighter’
The Crippler, along with the rest of The Ultimate Fighter 1 cast, helped usher in a new era of mixed martial arts. It’s well documented that the television show, and specifically the fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar during the first season’s finale, helped to blow up the UFC’s popularity.
Leben was a major character on the show, from his wild antics to his feud with Josh Koscheck and Bobby Southworth. He went on to fight in the promotion 22 times, serving as the co-main event feature multiple times.
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