Props: MySpace.com
Quoteworthy:
“We’re talking to Joe (Silva - UFC Match Maker), and we’re starting to look for a fight. If you win 4 or 5 fights in a row, you’re pretty much guaranteed a title shot, so I figured maybe Okami or Bisping would be a fun fight for me.”
Chris Leben shares some ideas about who he would like to take on next in the 185-pound division with the hopes that he can reel of some more wins and get another crack at UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva. “The Crippler” is on a two fight win streak, recovering from a skid in which he lost three of four bouts, including one losing contest against “The Spider” in 2006.
(Thanks to MMAmania.com contributor “Mr. NC-17″ for the assist.)
April 10th, 2008
54 Comments »
FAT HEAD
Go On LEBEN!!! I love this guy!
I’m surprised he mentions Bisbing as though he is on the same level as Okami. Maybe he “just” thinks it would be fun as opposed to thinking Bisbing is a stepping stone to a title shot…which can’t be possible
He probably wants Bisping because it’s likely he’ll try to stand and trade… and then get KOd
I think Leben should fight the Winner of Franklin Vs Lutter….Or Okami while they wait.
what??? Leben and lutter is nothing for Franklin..
Rich Franklin vs Hendo, thats a good fight
If you really think about it, Franklin has fought two ‘A’ level fighters and lost to both of them (Silva and Machida) via knockout. The toughest opponent he fought and beat was probably Yushin Okami (and don’t say that Okami beat Silva because it was a DQ). He did hold the title for a while in a very thin middleweight division, but I still think Franklin is overhyped even with his impressive 22-3 record. Anyone else agree with this??
Okami would smash Leben, but Leben-Bisping could make out to be a very exciting fight.
Mania……….The Score confirmed the sylvia vs fedor fight, about an hour ago!!
LOL they were too busy screwing up the format!!! they’re always behind everyone else by an hour or two…sometimes a day or too lol
leben is a good fighter however i do not think that he is anywhere in line for a title shot. lets not forget that anderson plowed through him to get to franklin! leben was getting dropped with jabs!!!!! dont get me wrong i love to see guys swing but in mma you have to go to the ground as well and anderson has proven that he can do both, while leben hasnt! he is exciting but not enough so to have the talent to get a title shot!
I’d really like to see Leben take a step up in his next fight. It will be nice to see if he can achieved top level status or if he is still a middle of the pack guy.
Leben is one of my favorite fighters but I’m not sure if I can see him beating Okami, Lutter of Franklin. If he can I’m thinking a rematch against Silva next year would be sweet.
Leben vs Okami makes zero sense right now. Okami is in line for a shot at the title. Ever since Bisping moved down to MW, I’ve been saying that I want to see Leben fight him and KTFO of him. If they were to fight, there is no way that “pitter-pat” Bisping can KO Leben. Leben has taken hard clean shots from the hardest hitters in the division and goes unphased (that is, except when fighting Anderson Silva). So Bisping beats McCarthy, will his next fight be against Leben? I sure hope so. If Leben beats Bisping, then a fight against Okami would make sense (after he loses to Silva).
I dont see him fighting Bisping or Okami anytime soon. Okami is probably next in line for Silva, and Leben has not earned the right to fight anyone that high up the todum pole just yet.
I would love to see Bisping vs. Leben, but I have my doubts about the UFC risking Bisping against such a dangerous guy like Leben….Leben isnt the most well rounded fighter but he can Bang with anyone (except Silva). I think he would knock Bispings block off and I dont believe that the UFC will allow that to happen to their British investment!
The other day, I believe Violentmike suggested Leben vs. Cote….That fight makes the most sense for Leben right now. Both fighters like to bang, they both have had tough times in the UFC, but are now on mini winning streaks….so I think Cote vs. Leben is the next logical fight!
I totally agree. You have to think that at some point the UFC is going to have to put Bisping in there with somebody that either makes or breaks him. IMO Bisping has squandered his chance to win people over.
Leben Cote would be sweet. I think Cote cracks Leben and knocks him silly. If McFedries punches can’t drop Cote, I’ve got a hard time believing Leben’s could.
That’s righ John, I’m REALLY hoping for a Leben/Cote Part 2. Their first fight was super exciting, and they are both on the same rung of the UFC MW ladder and are each riding a winning streak (Leben - 2 fight / Cote = 3 fight in UFC)
Leben does have 4 submission wins to his credit before you completely discount his ground game, but clearly stand-up is his strength. I think he needs one more win before he gets a shot at Okami or Franklin and needs to beat one of them for a rematch with Silva. And Bisping is several notches below Leben at this point, so beating him does nothing. Leben would do much better against Silva the second time around, now that he knows what he’s up against, but I still don’t think he gets out of the first round. Silva is just too technical for Leben.
Leben leads with his face and swings for the fences. He is a good gatekeeper but he is no where near a title shot. Franklin, Nate, Lutter & Okami are all before him. I think Bisping would give him a harder fight than people give him credit for. Yes Bisping has fought cans and his first MW fight is tupperware but I think he could be a contender in the MW Division.
he would knock out bisping
Leben is one of my favorite fighters and is always entertaining to see him fight,but as far as getting a title shot I see no way he will get one. Maybe when Anderson leaves MMA and start playing soccer in his country. That is the only way.
i could just picture the CRIPPLER chasing Bisping around the Octagon like Matt Hammil did, trying to get a punch in… “come back here!” HAHA!!
but i get the “impression” that he doesn’t take his training as seriously as some fo the other guys just judging from the show when he was downing 40s and going to practice hung over. yad i mean?
That was about four years ago, and Leben has grown up and matured a ton since then.
The new Real Fighter Magazine has an awesome article about Leben. You can tell he has matured alot.
Leben can compete against any fighter in the division, and that includes the champ. He won’t always win, but he’ll always entertain. Besides, the guy seems to have turned his career around, and I look forward to his next fight. He took on Silva before most knew who Silva really was and what he brought to the table. Would Leben try to stand with Silva as he did two years ago? I doubt it. I’m not saying he could beat Silva, rather I’m saying he would compete…
He would give Franklin (who does get rocked regularily) a war. He would provide Bisping with a tough fight. He’d have to have a solid game plan against Lutter because he is vulnerable to subs, and he’d eat Okami for breakfast and I’d love to watch that.
If you get a technically sound fighter against a slugger like Leben, 9 times out of ten Leben will lose. His only strengths are his punching power and chin, but on the ground he isnt good at all, he has no tecnique, he leaves his chin open too much. All in all he is an exciting fighter but one that will never be champ because hes not good enough.
Can’t stand this guy. He’ll never be a champ in the UFC. N E V E R
If Leben wants a title shot, he needs to consider the WEC; or EliteXC or something. It ain’t coming in the MW division of the UFC.
UFC Champions, Anderson Silva, UFC Contender, Yushin Okami, and Michael Bisping are laughing at Chris Leben cause He said something about them. They are too much for him. I think that Leben should respect them. I love to see Okami gonna to KO Leben in round one. I think that Leben should down to lightweight or welterweight division.
Leben is rubbish. He is fun to watch but has zero skill.
How many seconds did he last with Anderson? And that was after Anderson did his normal 30secs of sussing the guy out!
Stop bitchin on Bisping. He had 2 close fights against 2 good LHW’s in Hamil and Evans, who were both much bigger than him come fight time.
Your saying Leben has zero skill really shows your ignorance. Anderson knocked Leben silly however Anderson has dominated everyone, so to his credit at least Chris lost to a very strong champion. He has other losses close bouts, the one with Kalib I felt Chris actually won.
Do some reasearch before you calling fighters rubbish, or perhaps do some training and you will see how much skill it actually takes to compete at Lebens level.
I hate typos
Come on then lets have it!!! Bisping would shut him up and show hamill nut huggers that he can fight.
I still can’t see how Bisping not only has any fans but his fair share of nuthuggers as well. I think Leben would put a whoopin’ on him.
Leben is a phenomenal and unorthodox striker, he would crush Bisping. The “Count” has looked horrible in his last few fights and Leben has looked great! The KO of “Baby Tyson” was one of the best KO’s of the year, if not the best simply because of the way Leben was rocked, Martin got cocky and next thing you know Martin’s making out with the apron.
Plus I don’t see how any of you can say Okami would own Leben, why cause he KO’d a rusty Tanner…Okami is the Asian version of Josh “Dryhumper” Koscheck.
In my opinion Leben takes both these fights in KO fashion!
You ameriacn hamill nut huggers really are weird. you make out bisping is shit, then say there is no way he could ko leban? then say ufc will not risk bisping with a dangerous fighter like leban??? hahah did you see bispings last fight? evans was trying to cuddle him the whole fight and he is fighting chuck lidell next? Bisping would dominate leban he is a pussy.
So…I assume you are smoking some of the killer UK buds? here’s the deal: Hamill is garbage and he beat bisping (no matter what the cards read), Evans is garbage and he beat bisping. the guy is another TUF flop only used to gain the UK audience. Leben would destoy him. period.
by the way, why you gotta bring Chuck into this… of all people, he would’ve had the “count” doing his best Dan Simmler impression.
I’m not even convinced bisping’s gonna beat “tuppaware”
how’s that sit with you?
Let me get this right. Leben has skills, but not anywhere near what the top level of MMA requires. He is one dimensional.
People talk about Bisping fighting cans but I also think Leben has mostly fought people that are perfect for his style, when he’s fought someone that is not prepared to just bang with him… he has lost (Kalib/McDonald and anderson).
Tobias808.. please dont tell me to do my research. These are just my opinions and you have yours.
Again your statements arent backed up with any facts hence the reason why you should do some research or lace up some gloves and go three rounds with anyone at Lebens level.
Chris is not a one dimensional fighter he has at least 3 submission victories in the UFC. It appears you dont even have a clue about how successful Chris was prior to coming to the TUF series and the UFC. He stands on his feet because thats one of his strengths.
Tobias808….Please do your own research!! Leben only has one submission win in the ufc.
Edwin Dewees @ UFC Fight Night2
His record before TUF/UFC was (I think) 2 wins 1 lose.
MoonUK: You are correct about the one submission victory in the UFC. But his record coming into TUF/UFC was 10-1 with his lone loss coming by way of Joe Doerksen. His biggest win of those 10, was probably him knocking out Mike Swick in a WEC event in ‘03 or ‘04 I believe.
By the way Okami would throw (with lots of laying on top of) Leben about like a rag doll for 3 rounds. Unanimous Decision to Okami.
i love watching leben. but i think he has a chance against franklin. slugger vs. tech striker. would love to see this fight happen
bisping yes. okami would lay and pray him to death.
Come to think of it.. The UK has one notable fighter…..
nuff said.
Leben/Bisping would be an awesome fight.
When Leben knocks Bisping out, and I did say WHEN, then he should fight Okami after the Silva fight. Okami will be coming off a loss and Leben will be on a streak. Great matchup if it would all play out like that.
Leben is really coming on strong. Dude has a solid chin, advanced striking skills and appearently a good jujitsu game. Granted he is undersize and not in as good of shape as some 185lb fighters, but he can bang with some of the better fighters out there.
He may be great to watch if you put him against someone whos gonna stand with him. How did he do against Jascon MacDonald? You cant just keep feeding him bangers. Hes gonna have to step up and fight some ground guys or he will forever be where he is. Hes basicly in the same spot as Cote but hes not moving up. How do you think Leben would do against the “Big Dog”? I know Cote has some sort of ground game and I am not liking him taking that fight at all. Leben is a middle of the road guy who entertaining to watch win or lose but not much beyond that.
considering Yushin Okami would destroy Leben, as would anybody in the top 5.
Leben has a terrible game plan, a wilder puncher.
Fun to watch, but he is going to get Anderson Silva rocked again because Leben is an idiot.
Bisping would smash this wigga to pieces.
if it does happen it better be a fight night…
If Leban is one dimensional what does that make Liddel. All he does is stand up and bang and everyone wants to have his babies. I have always liked Leban, his personality and his fighting spirit. The guy always brings it and doesn’t take himself too seriously. I really don’t care what skills he lacks, he’s improving all the time and he always entertains. There were some comments above about him fighting Cote, he already has and beat him. It was a good fight Leban took some solid blows but just walked through them. I would really look forward ro seeing a second match, they have both improved a great deal.
Leben vs. Bisping would be entertaining. Leben vs. McFedries would be entertaining. Even Leben vs. Franklin would be entertaining, though if Franklin beats Lutter I think he should fight Henderson. Putting Leben versus any stand-up guy is fun to watch and because Leben isn’t a likeable dude, you don’t care who wins and can just enjoy the war.
I’ve got Two word’s for Chris Leben’s fans ” Kalib Starnes” How Embarrasing. This guy is a joke! and he lost to him.