Props: MySpace.com
Quoteworthy:
“Honestly, as much respect as possible to him, but I really don’t think he deserves to be in the UFC. I haven’t seen him win the fights or do what he has to do to prove himself at this level. You know, we’re going to pressure him and test him and I’ll tell you what , he has a pretty good opportunity to prove himself if that’s what he wants to do.”
“The Crippler” weighs-in on his upcoming opponent, Alessio Sakara, at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on March 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. This is the first fight on Leben’s new contract, according to the interview. There was some speculation that he would bolt from the organization. He is now on the 25/25 pay scale rather than the 10/10 ($25,000 to show, $25,000 to win). Leben did not reveal the length of the contract.
(Thanks to MMAmania.com reader “Mr. NC-17″ for the assist.)
February 12th, 2008
Wow does Chris Leben really have room to say this?
We’ll see who deserves to be where after the fight. Sakara IMO is one of those guys who actually is really dangerous fighter, he just hasn’t had the best luck inside the octagon.
[quote comment=”307608″]Wow does Chris Leben really have room to say this?[/quote]
I agree! As much as I love “the crippler” he has had is fair of rough streaks in the UFC and in now way should he be saying this. Sakara has talent and at some point I expect him to turn on the switch and start having success. Look at Both Leben and Cote, the UFC stuck with them through some rough times when many people speculated that he should be demoted to the WEC, and now they are looking good. He has no right to say that about Sakara.
I never understood why fighters talked so bad about there opponents. IMO fighters should be talking up there opponents n interviews, that way if they win they can say they beat a tough guy and if they loose, then you lost to a tough fighter.
Now he basically called Sakara a weak fighter. So then why fight him? Accodring to his remarks, if he wins, so what? he beat a can, and if he looses to him (which is very possible), then he really looks like crap.
Very stupid remarks on Leben’s part. I still remain a fan of both Sakara and Leben.
Violentmike: LOOK AT ME, I CAN SPELL!!! LOL
Like he’s the one to talk. Mr. Footstomp has lost 3 of his last 5 fights (granted, one of them was to Anderson Silva) and one of those wins was a last-minute (lucky) KO over Terry Martin. While both Leben and Sakara have fought a couple of big names, most of their fights have been against B level fighters. Looks like someone needs another slice of humble pie, ala Anderson Silva’s beatdown.
I remember hearing him say “he should go back to Japan, where the competition is easier.” about Anderson Silva, look how that turned out. lol
[quote post=”4902″]Wow does Chris Leben really have room to say this? [/quote]
Sure he does.
Chris Leben has had 10 fights in the UFC, and he is 7-3 in those fights. I really don’t hold the loss to Anderson against him. Not everyone knew that this UFC newcomer would be champ in just a few months after that fight.
Alesio Sakara is 3-3 in the UFC with one no contest for getting kicked in the balls. Everybody’s knock on Leben is that he is currently on a bad run, losing 3 of his last 5. WELL GUESS WHAT, Sakara has lost 3 of his last 5 as well. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t go, nor is he capable of, going on a 4 fight UFC win streak.
Sure Leben doesn’t have the best ground game, but at least he HAS a ground game. He just prefers to stand and bang. On the other hand, Sakara is stricly a boxer. I have never seen him take a fight to the ground, and everytime I’ve seen him on the ground, he is either getting submitted or he was unconcsious due to a Houston Alexander knee.
As far as MMA is concerned, Leben is far beyond Sakara. Leben’s remarks are justified in my opinion.
[quote comment=”307608″]Wow does Chris Leben really have room to say this?[/quote]
He has room to say this if he wants to. It’s a stupid thing to say, but he can say it.
Leben has beaten tougher competition than Sakara and lost to better competition. Se he is clearly the more successful and dominant fighter.
Sakara is not quite the level of Leben (yet) but he’s not too far behind.
Leben Rd. 2 KO
Leben’s right, Sakara stinks. Leben will put him to sleep.
I think Sakara at 185 deserves to be in the UFC. I think Sakara is dangerous standing up, just like Leben. Leben has a bigger name, and he has defeating bigger named opponents than Sakara. But, last time Leben talked crap like this, Anderson knocked him out fast.
I like Leben, he has great energy and he has great fights, but I think he just needs to shut up and fight.
Im looking forward to this fight. I think the winner should get Marvin Eastman.
I see Sakara winning this fight! U heard it here 1st!
If you read the whole interview, this is the harshist thing he said, and its really not that harsh….he came off more grown up really…
he always talks smack, i remember what he said to the spider before their fight “anderson might want to go back to japan where the competition is a little easier”… he’ll eat his words again.
Man I wish Leben would quit. The guy is sucky and far from exciting. You can see the same thing he does at the local pub or dance club at 2:30PM.
Hope he gets smashed…
[quote comment=”307726″]If you read the whole interview, this is the harshist thing he said, and its really not that harsh….he came off more grown up really…[/quote]
Leben in the interview did seem very mature, and more composed than what he used to be. I mean, I understand that he is issuing his thoughts on Sakara, and that is reasonable, but when Leben talks shit like this, he tends to get beat. Look at Anderson Silva and Jason MacDonald. He talked shit, and got beat.
I still hope Leben knocks out Sakara, but I think it will be a war.
once again why i hate chris leban
i thought he learned his lesson tellin the spider to go back to japan, but i think he should be able to take this one. I hope sakara tells him to go back to the WEC where “the competition is a little easier”
Just one average fighter calling another out..
Leben is the UFC’s Homer Simpson. He can take a hard punch, leave his opponent shocked and then takes them out while blindly punching.
He is the first and only person in the UFC that I would step into the ring and think I had a shot to beat. I am wrong but that is how little I respect his fighting ability.
[quote comment=”307712″]I see Sakara winning this fight! U heard it here 1st![/quote]
That’s what I’m saying! I like Legionarious. I’ve been rooting for him for all his fights. Also, since I hate Leben I’ll enjoy this one!
careful what you wish for….remember when you were cocky and arragont and got knocked out cold by a first timer…i beleive his name was ANDERSON SILVA.
not saying sakara is in the same league as silva….but karma is a bitch.
Wow. A fighter trash talks and everyone hates him. Grow up , this is a full contact FIGHT sport. It comes with the territory. He has every right to say this, and I love it when he talks shit, or for that matter, anyone talks shit. HYPES THE FIGHTS BETTER!
And as far as people saying LEBEN, aka Mr. Footstomp, is a worthless fighter, give me a break. Do you even watch the fights? Or just look at results?
LEBEN has 7 wins out of the 10 fights he’s had in the UFC. One loss was to Anderson fucking Silva who no one can beat right now except for possibly HENDO coming up. One was a terrible Unanimous Decision to Kalib Starnes where LEBEN could of easily got the judges vote on any other night. And the third loss was Jason MacDonald. To me, that’s one hell of a record. And to say his KO over Terry Martin was lucky is bullshit. Lucky? How in the hell is a Knock Out lucky? He swung, he connected, Martin dropped. No luck about it.
And SAKARA…
His record is 3-3 in the UFC. With wins over Victor Valimaki(who?), James Lee(who?), and the one recognizable name, Elvis Sinosic. His losses with Houston Alexander, Drew McFedries, and Dean Lister prove that anytime he is put up against a mid-card talent, he falls.
LEBEN is on the comeback via his training in Hawaii. LEBEN KNOCKS OUT sakara LATE 2nd Round
[quote comment=”307768″][quote comment=”307726″]If you read the whole interview, this is the harshist thing he said, and its really not that harsh….he came off more grown up really…[/quote]
Leben in the interview did seem very mature, and more composed than what he used to be. I mean, I understand that he is issuing his thoughts on Sakara, and that is reasonable, but when Leben talks shit like this, he tends to get beat. Look at Anderson Silva and Jason MacDonald. He talked shit, and got beat.
I still hope Leben knocks out Sakara, but I think it will be a war.[/quote]
I dont really see this as talking shit at all. He made an observation, which was a pretty reasonable one…how many times to we need to see Sakara get KOed before he decides to go down in competition to revamp his game and confidence? Leben is a horrible match up for Sakara, and I cant think of too many guys at 185 that arent a horrible match up for him
First of all, I didn’t know he signed a new contract. I thought he was gone after this fight.
Second, this is WHY HE HAS A NEW CONTRACT. Dana likes guys who can promote fights and guys that either knock someone out or get knocked out. This is Leben’s role - talk sh!t to everyone and come in swingin’!
I just hope they don’t encourage too much of this….we don’t need it to turn into the WWE, where talking sh!t means everything.
I wouldn’t speak so quickly. Sakara at MW might be scary to a few folks.
I really don’t know what to expect with this Sakara vs Leben fight. I think Sakara is the better, more technical striker ot the two. However, Leben has decent standup, ko power,a decent ground game and a granite chin. I don’t really care for Leben, but he also has that fighting spirit that makes him turn it up a notch if he’s in trouble instead or fading like I’ve seen Sakara do. Also Leben has better stamina that Sakara. If he wants to win Sakara needs to finish Leben quickly.
I
ll give Sakara a 60% chance of tko in the first.
how did leban negotiate making over double what he does now based on his previous performances.
[quote comment=”307859″]I wouldn’t speak so quickly. Sakara at MW might be scary to a few folks.[/quote]
Thats what I think. The LHW division is only the toughest divison in the UFC so I wouldn’t write him off at MW yet.
[quote comment=”307872″]how did leban negotiate making over double what he does now based on his previous performances.[/quote]
He is 7-3 in the ufc how many other middleweights can say that right now?
If sakara dont win this fight i will be suprised. Leben has knock out power but his technique is rubbish, sakara has technique and power, and when he gets a ground game he is going to cause people problems.
[quote comment=”307684″][quote post=”4902″]Wow does Chris Leben really have room to say this? [/quote]
Sure he does.
Chris Leben has had 10 fights in the UFC, and he is 7-3 in those fights. I really don’t hold the loss to Anderson against him. Not everyone knew that this UFC newcomer would be champ in just a few months after that fight.
Alesio Sakara is 3-3 in the UFC with one no contest for getting kicked in the balls. Everybody’s knock on Leben is that he is currently on a bad run, losing 3 of his last 5. WELL GUESS WHAT, Sakara has lost 3 of his last 5 as well. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t go, nor is he capable of, going on a 4 fight UFC win streak.
Sure Leben doesn’t have the best ground game, but at least he HAS a ground game. He just prefers to stand and bang. On the other hand, Sakara is stricly a boxer. I have never seen him take a fight to the ground, and everytime I’ve seen him on the ground, he is either getting submitted or he was unconcsious due to a Houston Alexander knee.
As far as MMA is concerned, Leben is far beyond Sakara. Leben’s remarks are justified in my opinion.[/quote]
I agree Leben is a much more well rounded fighter than Sakara and fighting Chris is a step up for him.
Lebens ground game is decent it would be great to see him wrap a triangle up and showcase his skills
[quote comment=”307839″]First of all, I didn’t know he signed a new contract. I thought he was gone after this fight.
Second, this is WHY HE HAS A NEW CONTRACT. Dana likes guys who can promote fights and guys that either knock someone out or get knocked out. This is Leben’s role - talk sh!t to everyone and come in swingin’!
I just hope they don’t encourage too much of this….we don’t need it to turn into the WWE, where talking sh!t means everything.[/quote]
uuhhhhhhh did you even see the Terry Martin fight??
It was one of the top rated fights last year.
Chris talking about Sakara is promoting the fight.
“remember hearing him say “he should go back to Japan, where the competition is easier.” about Anderson Silva, look how that turned out. lol”
I was going to say the same thing. There is a video on you tube when it shows leben talking shyt on Silva and then it cuts to what actually happened….classic!
this is not the full interview, you guys its at another website and he is very humble and machure through out the whole thing, they ask him about sakara and he is being honest and says with all due respect, (its his own opinion). but seriously not sure if im suppose to mention other websites but it was at sherdog, sorry mania if im not suppose to mention other websites plz let me know if its not accepted.
Leben is going to come out banging and take this one by KO/TKO.. I got floor seats and really looking forward to this fight.. No matter what Chris Leben has to say there are gonna be shit talkers out there…
[quote comment=”307608″]Wow does Chris Leben really have room to say this?[/quote]
i agree chris leben is a joke this fight is a joke…why the hell is this fight on the televised portion im gettin the ppv and i dont wanna see it…
All I know, is this will be a very entertaining fight that will not go to the ground. They will stand toe to toe and Bang it out. Leben has the advantage in strength of chin, and amount of punishment that he can sustain. Sakara’s advantage is that he is the more technically sound strikers. This will be a very exciting fight between 2 evenly matched strikers.
Leben’s foot stomps may prove to be the deciding factor! lol
[quote post=”4902″] I don’t really care for Leben, but he also has that fighting spirit that makes him turn it up a notch if he’s in trouble instead or fading like I’ve seen Sakara do.[/quote]
Exactly. When the heat is applied to Sakara, he folds. When the heat is turned up on Leben, he excels. Sakara gets punched in the face, he goes down, fight over. Leben gets punched in the face, he’s going to punch you in the face twice as hard. There is are many BIG differences between these two fighers and not everyone is seeing it. The only ‘advantage’ that one can say Sakara has is his standup is “more technically sound”. SO WHAT. This is a FIGHT, not sparring practice, or heavybag hitting.
[quote post=”4902″]Leben’s foot stomps may prove to be the deciding factor! lol [/quote]
Ya never know. It’s actually possible since every other time Sakara has seen something new in the octagon he lost.
Ah’ the comment was intially a low blow, but then Leban ends it with saying… it’s an opportunity to prove himself.
It think it was a sub par trashy comment at best… just hype for the fight as usual.
Well if Sakara doesn’t deserve to be in the UFC then Leben doesn’t deserve to be on a PPV, hes 0-2 on a PPV. Although his loses have to come from UFC Legends such greats as Kaleb Starnes and Jason McDonald. Give me a break your in the same boat as this guy your fighting. How about we steal a page from the WWE and have a Loser Leaves match then I might watch it.
WAR LEBEN!!!
[quote comment=”307684″][quote post=”4902″]Wow does Chris Leben really have room to say this? [/quote]
Chris Leben has had 10 fights in the UFC, and he is 7-3 in those fights. I really don’t hold the loss to Anderson against him. Not everyone knew that this UFC newcomer would be champ in just a few months after that fight.[/quote]
If you follow MMA and not just the UFC, you would know that prior to his killer-like beating of Leben, Anderson Silva was a serious fighter who was dangerous as hell. i read somewhere that he landed every single shot he threw at Leben. And if Leben is such a good fighter is that why all his UFC wins have been on Fight Night cards? All his losses have been on main events. Leben is, and always will be a low level fighter that guys use as a stepping stone because he is hard to knock out but will eventually lose to them.
CHRIS DOSENT DESERVE TO BE IN THE UFC
AS I HAVE STATED BEFORE CHRIS LEBEN IS NOT A UFC CALIBER FIGHTER … PERIOD !!! WOULD I APPRECIATE HIM HAVING MY BACK IN A BAR FIGHT ? SURE, BUT THIS PUNK HASN’T EVOLVED HIS MMA GAME AT ALL AND HAS LOST MORE THAN HALF OF HIS LAST 6 FIGHTS.
THE WEC HAS A 185 POUND DIVISION, SOMEONE GIVE CHRIS THEIR BUSINESS CARD
Kevin kelly LOL couldn’t agree more!
[quote comment=”308653″][quote comment=”307684″][quote post=”4902″]Wow does Chris Leben really have room to say this? [/quote]
Chris Leben has had 10 fights in the UFC, and he is 7-3 in those fights. I really don’t hold the loss to Anderson against him. Not everyone knew that this UFC newcomer would be champ in just a few months after that fight.[/quote]
If you follow MMA and not just the UFC, you would know that prior to his killer-like beating of Leben, Anderson Silva was a serious fighter who was dangerous as hell. i read somewhere that he landed every single shot he threw at Leben. And if Leben is such a good fighter is that why all his UFC wins have been on Fight Night cards? All his losses have been on main events. Leben is, and always will be a low level fighter that guys use as a stepping stone because he is hard to knock out but will eventually lose to them.[/quote]
AND, if you follow my post, you’d read that I said “Not everyone knew that this UFC newcomer would be champ in just a few months after that fight.” I did not say “I had no idea who Anderson was, so how could he be good”. FYI- I knew who Anderson Silva was, but had only watched like 3 of his fights (the PRIDE ones).
[quote comment=”308917″]AS I HAVE STATED BEFORE CHRIS LEBEN IS NOT A UFC CALIBER FIGHTER … PERIOD !!! WOULD I APPRECIATE HIM HAVING MY BACK IN A BAR FIGHT ? SURE, BUT THIS PUNK HASN’T EVOLVED HIS MMA GAME AT ALL AND HAS LOST MORE THAN HALF OF HIS LAST 6 FIGHTS.
THE WEC HAS A 185 POUND DIVISION, SOMEONE GIVE CHRIS THEIR BUSINESS CARD[/quote]
How is he not a ufc calliber fighter? maybe you can tell me what is. hes beat patrick cote, that everyone is so in love with right now… he beat mike swick and jorge rivera… so he isnt the most technical fighter but he has a ground game unlike alot of other fighters and he can bang with almost anybody…also he hasnt lost more than half of his 6 fights he is 3 and 3… with 2 of those losses coming to silva and jason macdonald…. yea he cant hang in the ufc at all
and just read his interviews now he is trying to become a well rounded fighter… did you even read the interview?
Chris is going to finish Sakara the same way Mc Fedries did. Sakara can dish it out, but he doesn’t like to take it.