UNANIMOUS CLOTHING

We at Unan1mous Clothing would like to wish the best of luck to our friend Chris Leben in his upcoming fight this Saturday as he takes on Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116!

DERRICK BURNSED VS. BOBBY STACK

Round 1 – Referee Kim Winslow in charge of the night’s first preliminary bout. Dancing early, and Burnsed misses with a kick Burnsed shoots in, but Stack shrugs it off. Few feignts from both fighters Burnsed lands a nice right hand that pops Stack’s head back. Stack returns fire, and a stiff leg kick thuds home. Burnsed shoots in successfully, but Stack scrambles up and pushes the action against the cage. Stack pressing in and delivers a few knees. Burnsed throws a few shots to the ribs as he tries to defend. Stack switches to a body lock. Few knees traded inside, but it’s largely a stalemate. Winslow calls for the restart. Nice left from Stack scores. Stacks kicks high but eats a counter. Burnsed fires off a kick, but Stack shoots in and scores a takedown. Burnsed tries to roll for a triangle underneath, but he settles back into guard. Scramble back to the feet. Stack shoots in again successfully. Stack controls the position, but Burnsed rolls for an armbar at the bell. No time as the round ends. Burnsed had nice action late, but MMAjunkie.com sees it for Stack, 10-9.

Round 2 – Stack kicks low, but Burnsed pops him with a right that drops him. Burnsed follows to the floor, but Stack gathers his wits and works to the top. Burnsed again rolling for the armbar. It’s not there, and the fighters stand. Burnsed works for a guillotine on the feet and falls back, but he doesn’t have it. He releases and scrambles, but Stack uses the opening to drive forward into top position again. Scramble back up again, and it’s Stack pushing forward against the cage. Burnsed tries to work free, but Stack trips him to the floor. Burnsed back to his feet, but Stack wants it on the ground. He can’t get it there. Burnsed sprawls and moves to the back. As he steps over for the hook, Stack rolls to is side. Burnsed takes half-mount and looks to have a side choke locked in. As he flattens Stack, he lets it go. Full mount, and Burnsed is in control of a winded Stack. Burnsed tries again for the arm-triangle, but the bell saves Stack. MMAjunkie.com sees it for Burnsed, 10-9.

Round 3 – Touch of gloves to open the final frame. Stack takes the center and scores with a hook. Burnsed bouncing, but both guys look tired. Spinning kick from Stack comes up short. Stack misses a high kick but shoots immediately afterward. Burnsed reverses on the way down and takes top position. Half-mount for Burnsed. Stack scrambles underneath as Burnsed tries to pass, and he keeps half-guard. Burnsed passes the guard, and Stack gives up the back. Burnsed tries to work in his hooks, and Stack sweeps to top. Burnsed secures the left arm and tries to finish with an armbar, but Stack defends it. Burnsed lets go and stands. Stack follows, and he eats a jab. Stack shoots in softly, and Burnsed grabs a guillotine choke. Stack scrambles out and Burnsed tries to take back but he’s too high and falls over. He’s forced to pull guard. Stack on top, and Burnsed’s head against the cage. Burnsed kicks off and stands. Stack shoots a single, but he’s got nothing in the gas tank. Burnsed tries a guillotine, but he lets it go as he falls to the back. Stack throws a few tired punches from top in the closing seconds. Could be an interesting score depending on what the judges value, but MMAjunkie.com sees Burnsed as the active fighter and awards him the round, 10-9, and the fight, 29-28. Bobby Stack def. Derrick Burnsed via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28).

GARETH JOSEPH VS. YANCEY MEDEIROS

Round 1 – Referee Jason Herzog calls the action. Joseph open with a nice low kick. Medeiros pushes in, but Joseph tags him with a flurry, Medeiros firm in the pocket, and he lands a Superman punch. Medeiros firing off heavy shots, but Joseph swinging back with his back to the cage. Joseph seems to be getting the best of the early attacks. Into the clinch, and Joseph pushing in. He backs away and scores with a right as he leaves. Medeiros lands a left to the body, and he’s stalking. Joseph comfortable countering. Medeiros lands a left that wobbles Joseph. Now Medeiros finding range, though Joseph moves forward but misses. Medeiros kicks to the body. Joseph moving laterally, and he lands a low kick. Medeiros just misses a spinning hook kick. Medeiros to the body and just misses up top. Joseph lands a nice low kick and moves away, traded shots, Medeiros with a jab. Medeiros with a front kick in the closing seconds and a knee up the middle as Joseph shoots. Close first round with action by both, but MMAjunkie.com sees it for Medeiros, 10-9.

Round 2 – Joseph again comfortable retreating. He charges forward with a flurry that Medeiros evades. Jab for Medeiros followed by a 1-2. Medeiros with an outside low kick. Medeiros lands a left that wobbles Joseph. Joseph retreats, and Medeiros lands another straight that sends Joseph to the floor. One shot from the standing Medeiros, and Herzog is forced to make the stoppage. Yancey Medeiros def. Gareth Joseph via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:19.

BRET BERGMARK VS. VAGNER ROCHA

Round 1 – Bergmark is also known as “The Angry Hick.” Just had to get that out there. “Big” John McCarthy in charge of the action. Bergmark with an early low kick, Rocha lands an overhand right but is staggered by a counter. Bergmark in the center as Rocha circles left. Rocha again throwing overhands, but Bergmark countering with force. Rocha shoots in, but Bergmark sprawls and grabs a front headlock. Rocha drives and drives then elevates Bergmark and puts him on his back. Bergmark works guard as Rocha delivers a few punches from the top. Rocha postures and delivers a few right hands before returning to Bergmark’s closed guard. Bergmark works his legs high, and as Rocha scrambles away, the pair return to the feet. Low kick from Bergmark. Another. Traded rights. Left hand from Bergmark scores. Rocha shoots in on a low kick. Bergmark sprawls and tries to secure a guillotine as he falls to his back. It’s not there, and Rocha pops out. Rocha lands a few small shots from the top before the round expires. Rocha spent a lot of tie on top, but Bergmark landed the best shots of the round. Nevertheless, Rocha takes the frame, 10-9, on the MMAjunkie.com card.

Round 2 – Rocha pops a jab. Bergmark stalks him and throws heavy leather. Bergmark lands a heavy low kick, but Rocha tags him with a right hand. Brief scramble on the ground, but back to a striking position quickly. Bergmark still throwing heavy hands. Rocha shoots, but Bergmark stands him up. Knee from Bergmark and Rocha drops. He’s up again, but Bergmark keeps the clinch. Another knee from Bergmark before he tosses Rocha to the floor. Bergmark postures and throws shots to the body. As he moves in, Rocha threatens with a triangle. Bergmark backs away, and Rocha looks frustrated as he’s forced to return to his feet. Rocha shoots in again, but Bergmark shucks him off and moves to back-side control. Nothing there, and Bergmark backs away. Rocha with a hand on his hip as he moves away. Bergmark stiffly stalks him. Left for Bergmark lands, and right narrowly misses. Big flurry from Bergmark at the end of the frame. Rocha actually turns his back in the closing seconds to escape. MMAjunkie.com sees it for Bergmark, 10-9.

Round 3 – Rocha tries to attack early but misses and winds up on the floor. He pops back up immediately. Bergmark very stiff in his standup but powerful. Left hand for Bergmark. Rocha moves in with a 1-2 that’s blocked. Bergmark swings wild hooks, and Rocha scampers away. Inside leg kick for Bergmark. Rocha shoots in, but Bergmark saw it immediately and sprawled to a front headlock. He shifts to the right and locks up a D’arce from north-south. It’s not there, and he tries to re-adjust. Rocha works to his knees, then his feet, and Bergmark lets go. Two minutes left, and Bergmark stalking. Shot to the body for Bergmark, then the head. Rocha resets and delivers a right. Bergmark with an outside leg kick. Bergmark with a left and a right that score. Rocha tough, but he’s in trouble. Rocha shoots. Bergmark shrugs it off and backs away. He wants to stand. He lands again, and Rocha falls to his back. Bergmark wants none and moves away. Bergmark teeing off and forcing Rocha to stand. Rocha turns his back, and Bergmark tags with a big right anyway. Rocha done as Bergmark moves forward in the closing seconds. Final frame all Bergmark, and MMAjunkie.com gives him the round, 10-9, and the fight, 29-28. Bret Bergmark def. Vagner Rocha via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26).

CHRIS COPE VS. RON KESLAR

Round 1 – Referee Kim Winslow returns for the evening’s final prelim. Early jabs from both. Keslar lands a flurry then backs away and shoots for a leg. Keslar on top and very quickly to mount. Cope with his legs on the cage. He flips over and gives up his back. Keslar rolls with him, and both hooks are in. Keslar’s feet are crossed in front, but he switches to a figure-four. Cope defends the choke well with his arms, but he’s trapped. Cope tries to turn in, but Keslar maintains the back. Keslar switches from the left arm to the right arm and back to the left, but he can’t get under the chin. Halfway through the round. Cope throwing a few punches behind him that land. Cope making the most of a very bad situation. Cope scrambles and looks to be escaping, but Keslar falls back to mount and then again to the back. Both hooks in again, though Keslar switches again to the figure-four. Less than a minute remains. Cope valiant in defense. Keslar continues to look for the choke, but it won’t come. MMAjunkie.com sees the first for Keslar, 10-9.

Round 2 – Cope with an early kick. Keslar shoots in again on a single leg and moves immediately to the back. We’re immediately back into the same position we spent the entire first round. Keslar continues to look for the choke. This time, though, Cope is able to spin free and take top. Scramble, and both fighters return to their feet. Halfway in. Cope throws a kick that lands in the groin, and Keslar backs away to rest. Cope lands a jab on the restart, then a 1-2. Keslar shoots in again. This time, Cope is ready and defends well. He lands a kick as he backs away. Cope lands a spinning high kick, and Keslar drops for a shot. Tough to tell if he was trying to change levels or was simply dropped. He hangs on to a single-leg, and Cope fires off shots to the body and head. Keslar seems to be trying to regain his wits as Cope continues the flurry. No answer from Keslar, and Winslow watching close. Looks like the kick was indeed effective. More shots to the body and head, and Winslow is forced to intervene. No complaints from Keslar, even though some of the crowd disagreed with the stoppage. Great come-from-behind win after avoiding an early submission. Chris Cope def. Ron Keslar via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:32.

PAT HEALY VS. JOSH THOMSON

Round 1 – Referee “Big” John McCarthy in the cage for the night’s first televised contest. Crowd firmly behind the local fighter Thomson. Healy ties up early, though Thomson backs away. Thomson with the surprising early takedown, though Healy pops up and pushes him to the cage. Thomson with a bodylock and his back to the cage. Few knees traded inside as the fighters jockey for position. Healy ducks down for a single, but Thomson alertly steps over and takes the back. Thomson attacks the right arm and rolls off for an armbar attempt. Healy deftly steps over and relieves the pressure, but Thomson will not relent. It’s a triangle choke attempt from the side. Healy finally pulls the arm free, and Thomson backs up to the cage and stands. Healy on the back, and he elevates Thomson and slams him to the floor. Healy on the back with both hooks in, and he looks briefly for a rear-naked choke, though Thomson scrambles away and tries immediately for a kneebar. He lets go, and the pair returns to the feet. Healy moves in for a clinch and tries a trip, but it’s Thomson who ends up on top. The round ends there. Entertaining and perhaps surprising dispaly of grappling. MMAjunkie.com sees a fun round for Thomson, 10-9.

Round 2 – Thomson with a nice left hand and a low kick. Another low kick scores. Healy drives in and slams Thomson to the floor. Thomson tries to stand, and Healy moves to the back. Hooks in, but he’s shifted to the side. Thomson can’t wiggle free though, and Healy settles into a better position. Healy tries to flatter Thomson, but he pulls a leg free and rolls to his back. Healy in half-mount. Thomson works into guard, but Healy quickly advances to left-side half-mount. Left hands from the top. Thomson stands, but Healy slams him down again. Thomson fires an upkick an catches Healy in a near-triangle. Healy wiggles out and looks for a kneebar. Thomson fires elbows to the body ind efense. Scramble out, and Thomson again rolls for and armbar. It’s tight momentarily, but Healy spins out and returns to top position. Healy throws a few soft shots from the top. He advances to half-mount, but the round ends there. MMAjunkie.com sees it for Healy, 10-9.

Round 3 – Healy moves forward, though Thomson hits him with a few snapping right hands. Healy shoots in, but Thomson sprawls and moves away. Healy moving forward but eats another right from Thomson. A left scores, too. Thomson lands a front kick that Healy can’t catch. Healy moves into the clinch, but Thomson spins away. Healy throwing his hands, but Thomson countering well. Healy to the body. Thomson snaps his head back. Healy lands a left. Healy jabs into a clinch two minutes in. Thomson slips away, and he wants to strike. Healy stays the aggressor, and he returns to the clinch behind a few jabs. Thomson tries to slip away, but Healy takes him down. Healy slips to the back, but he falls off the top as Thomson ducks out the back door. Thomson transitions to side and then looks for the back. Healy on his knees. Healy stands, and Thomson has a figure-four on the body. Healy tries to slam forward, but Thomson gets the left arm under for the choke. Thomson a little to the side, and Healy is gutting it out. Thomson squeezes and squeezes, but Healy doesn’t want to give up. Thomson unrelenting with the bodylock in place, and Healy is finally forced to relent. Crowd goes nuts. Josh Thomson def. Pat Healy via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:27.

CRISTIANE “CYBORG” SANTOS VS. JAN FINNEY

Round 1 – Referee Kim Wonslow in charge of tonight’s 145-pound title fight. Finney jabs early, but Santos wings several hard shots that find their mark. Santos pushes forward into the clinch. Finney against the cage. Knees inside from Santos. They break and return to the center. Jab lands for Santos. Finney fires back, but Santos lands a flurry that drops her. Finney shows heart and scrambles back up. Santos pushes into the cage and throws knees inside. Left lands for Santos. A 1-2 lands and Finney drops. Santos fires shots to the downed foe, but Finney grabs onto a leg. Santos pulls free. Jab for Santos. Another three punch combination. Finney drops, and Santos punishes her with knees to the body. Halfway through. Santos firing punches to a turtled Finney. Winslow stops the action to call for a point deduction on Santos for shots to the back of the head. Didn’t appear too flagrant. Firefight on the restart. Santos takes one to give two and moves into the clinch again. Santos backs way and peppers Finney with hard straights. Finney drops again. Punches from the top from Santos, and she backs away. Finney doesn’t, but Winslow is curiously morbid as she watches. Finney turtles and reaches occasionally for a leg. More shots from Santos, and for some reason this is going to a second. MMAjunkie.com sees it for Santos, 9-8, though one could make a case for a 9-7.

Round 2 – Finney comes out firing, but Santos backs away and starts again. High kick for Santos. More straight punches. Finney goes to her knees, and Santos lands more blows. Finney drops to her back. Finney in survival mode as Santos moves on top. Finney has ceased to attack at this point. Finney grabs a leg, but Santos just backs away. Finney fires a few hard shots on the restart, but Santos just continues the assault. Finney is all heart, but her face is battered. Santos lands another three-punch combination and moves into the clinch. Not enough action for Winslow, who calls for a restart. Left stagers Finney. Santos just blasting away with giant shots, and a knee finally drops the courageous Finney. Winslow “rushes” in, and Finney is tapping at the same time. Far, far too long. Great performance by Santos, great heart by Finney. Cruel outing from Winslow. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos def. Jan Finney via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:56.

CUNG LE VS. SCOTT SMITH

Round 1 – Referee Jason Herzog in the cage for the evening’s co-main event. Smith charges forward and slips to a knee. Smith pushing forward very quickly and shoves Le into the cage. Right hand from Smith as he maintains the pressure. Le fires a knee inside, but Smith digs a right hand into the body. They break, and Smith not giving Le any room to operate. Smith misses on a big right, and Le lands a punch. Three-punch combo from Le very fast and on the mark. Low kick form Le. Smith has stopped the reckless charging, and Le is setting up. Smith lands a shot and misses a high kick, and Le retreats. Le staggers Smith with a shot punch, and Smith shoots in. Le throws a few short rights. Le throws knees to the shoulder while controlling the head. Smith on his knees and absorbing rights to the body. Smith stands briefly, then drops to a knee again. Smith works up again and drives Le into the cage. Working from the clinch, and Le’s back to the cage. Smith fires a few punches as they break. Big left hands score from Smith. Le backs away and lands a hight kick. Less than a minute. Le scores with a few knees and Smith hits the deck. Le controls the position as he lands a few short punches. Big right to the ribs at the bell, and Le takes the opening round, 10-9.

Round 2 – Smith moves forward again, but Le lands a few crisp shots. Smith staggers back then moves forward again. High kicks land. Spinning back kick rocks Smith. Le swarms, and Smith might not get a chance for third-round heroics. Left hands to the head. Knee to the body. Smith somehow works back to his feet, and they eventually break and restart. Smith eats another spinning back kick. He grabs his ribs which must be broken. Le pounces for a few massive uppercuts on the floor. Herzog gives Smith every opportunity, but he’s obviously hurt, and Le isn’t quitting. Kim Winslow says, “Let ‘em fight!” but Herzog has seen enough. Cung Le def. Scott Smith via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:46.

FEDOR EMELIANENKO VS. FABRICIO WERDUM

Round 1 – Referee “Big” John McCarthy in the cage for the evening’s main event. Emelianenko takes the center early. Werdum with a low kick. Emelianenko just standing in front of Werdum. Early right hand sees Werdum drop. Werdum grabs an arm from his back, and Emelianenko pulls away. Emelianenko pounding from the top, but Werdum returns to the arm. He transitions to a triangle choke and it looks very, very tight. Emelianenko tries to scramble free but he is stuck, and he shockingly taps out. Can’t tell if the pressure was from the armbar or the triangle, but it hardly matters. Shocking upset. It’s called an armbar, though the triangle appeared to be the culprit. Fabricio Werdum def. Fedor Emelianenko via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:09.

A middleweight bout between Kendall Grove and Goran Reljic has been demoted to UFC 116’s un-aired preliminary card, and a light-heavyweight fight between Seth Petruzelli and Ricardo Romero has been promoted to its slot on UFC 116’s “UFC Prelims” special on Spike TV.

A source close to Spike TV today confirmed the change with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

The source said Grove prompted the change after the fighter openly criticized the UFC’s longtime cable partner and their involvement in “The Ultimate Fighter.”

UFC 116 takes place July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Heavyweights Chris Tuchscherer and Brendan Schaub compete in the other “UFC Prelims” fight, which airs prior to the night’s pay-per-view main-card broadcast.

Grove, who was the season-three middleweight winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, earlier this week told Tapout Radio that Spike TV officials only care about ratings and getting “as much drama and stupidity out of us” as possible with little regard for the cast members’ careers.

Grove rejoined the radio show a few days later and apologized to Spike TV officials, UFC president Dana White and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva for passing off his personal feelings as fact. He said he “put my foot in my mouth” and thanked Spike TV officials for “giving me my shot” with the UFC.

Unfortunately, it appears it was too little too late with UFC and Spike TV executives, who now have relegated Grove (11-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) and Reljic (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) to one of the event’s four un-aired slots.

“Kendall made his feelings clear about Spike TV,” the source said. “Besides, Seth has a great story and is a ‘TUF’ alum.”

Petruzelli (12-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) gets the TV spot in his first fight back in the UFC. The “TUF 2″ cast member, who made his biggest splash when he defeated Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson in an October 2008 EliteXC fight, recently re-signed with the UFC following a four-fight win streak in outside organizations. He takes on Romero (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who initially was expected to fight Steve Cantwell.

The latest UFC 116 card now includes:

MAIN CARD

Champ Brock Lesnar vs. interim champ Shane Carwin (heavyweight title-unification bout)
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Chris Leben
Matt Brown vs. Chris Lytle
Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Kurt Pellegrino vs. George Sotiropoulos
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer
Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricardo Romero
PRELIMINARY CARD (Un-aired)

Kendall Grove vs. Goran Reljic
Dave Branch vs. Gerald Harris
Forrest Petz vs. Daniel Roberts
Jon Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola

Fear not UFC fans; you’ll get your required dose of “Sexyama” in July.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the promotion that despite some initial resistance to facing a new opponent, Japanese judoka Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has indeed agreed to face Chris Leben (20-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) at next week’s UFC 116 event in Las Vegas.

Akiyama had expressed some concern with the the late change of opponent, as Leben was selected earlier this week to replace initial foe Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1 MMA, 3-5 UFC) after “The Axe Murderer” was forced to bow out due to injury.

According to the U.K.-based Fighters Only magazine, Akiyama told Korean MMA blog Daum.net that he might elect to withdraw from the event rather than face Leben.

“I am not pleased with the change,” the report stated. “There are just 10 days left until the contest for me to determine [Leben’s] threats and the time is insufficient to establish a tailored gameplan. Leben is also not as high-profile as [Wanderlei] Silva and that does not help me.

“If there is to be a replacement, I was hoping for a big name. I spent one year preparing hard for this fight and this news has come as a big disappointment. My motivation has waned. I do not know yet what will happen. … In the worst case, I will not take part in the [UFC 116] event. We are working hard to resolve this issue.”

While it’s not immediately known what, if anything, was needed to persuade Akiyama, the sources indicated to MMAjunkie.com that the UFC is moving forward as planned with the Akiyama-Leben contest.

Featuring a heavyweight title unification match between current champ Brock Lesnar and interim title-holder Shane Carwin, “UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin” takes place July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs live on pay-per-view.

For the latest on UFC 116, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

Chris Leben agrees to replace injured Wanderlei Silva in UFC 116 co-main event.

Fresh off a dominant win at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finis Leben (20-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) has agreed to replace injured Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1 MMA, 3-5 UFC) and fight Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in the co-headliner of next week’s UFC 116 event.

A source close to the event told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) Leben has agreed to the bout and is expected to sign shortly.

Leben scored a second-round TKO of Aaron Simpson on Saturday, and if signed, his fight with Akiyama will take place after a mere 12-day layoff.

UFC 116 takes place July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Leben vs. Akiyama would take second billing on the night’s pay-per-view broadcast behind a heavyweight title-unification bout between champ Brock Lesnar and interim title-holder Shane Carwin.

MMAjunkie.com passed along a report from MMAFighting.com earlier today in which UFC president Dana White confirmed that Silva had cracked ribs and was forced to pull out of the fight.

Luckily for Leben, the Nevada State Athletic Commission did not issue him a medical suspension after the Simpson fight, in which he suffered minimal damage.

With the win, Leben improved to 4-2 over his past six fights. “The Ultimate Fighter 1″ cast member posted three knockouts wins in the span (over Simpson, Terry Martin and Alessio Sakara).

Akiyama, meanwhile, has been inactive since his UFC debut this past July at UFC 100, where the DREAM and K-1 HERO’s veteran defeated Alan Belcher via close split decision for his 11th straight victory.

Interview with Chris “The Crippler” Leben

Interview by Spaniard, Photos by NW Fightscene

This Saturday, June 19th, UFC Veteran, Chris “The Crippler” Leben, will be fighting on the main card of The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale against Middleweight Aaron Simpson. One of the stars of Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter and a fighter who has had more than his share of ups and downs in and out of The Octagon, Leben looks to make it two wins in a row after coming off back-to-back losses to Michael Bipsing (UFC 89) and Jake Rosholt (UFC 102). NW Fightscene’s Spaniard had an opportunity to speak with Chris at length in the leadup to his fight against Simpson, and Leben has some very interesting things to say…

NW Fightscene: You looked really, really good in your last fight against Jay Silva in January, after a tough loss to Jake Rosholt last year. How’d you turn it around?
Chris Leben: It really started with the long awaited return against Jake Rosholt. When I went in with him, with all respect to Jake, I really wasn’t ready for that fight. I had some things go on in my life that unfortunately I’m one of those guys that kind of lets their lives get to them sometimes. And so I came off that loss, and that was a tough loss because there’s nothing worse than losing to a guy you really feel you should have beat. And its just like they say, sometimes you learn a lot more from a loss than you do from a win. And that’s what definitely motivated me to get my head screwed back on straight after everything that happened with Bipsing. I was in a weird place and my self-esteem was low and I didn’t train right for Rosholt. But after that loss it motivated me to get back in the game, training like crazy. I switched a lot of stuff up, with my camp, with my training partners.

I spent a month out at Nate Quarry’s house, training with Nate Quarry and Greg Thompson in Oregon at Next Level MMA, Greg Thompson’s Gym… And they just absolutely whipped me into what I think is the best shape of my life, definitely the best mental shape of my life going into that fight. So I went out and it was just like I fought like I know I should be able to fight. I went out and I was one move ahead of him the whole time. He never threatened me at any time. To his credit, the kid was tough, he didn’t let me put him away. I had a choke on him and I beat on him really hard, and he took everything that I could give him. So tough kid but it was a really good feeling going out and winning in a dominant fashion. Having said that now obviously I need a repeat.

NWFS: what are your thoughts about your opponent Aaron Simpson?
Leben: You know, Aaron Simpson’s really tough. He’s a fantastic, seasoned wrestler which makes him a seasoned competitor and he’s 3 and 0 right now in the UFC, so he’s on a streak. And when guys are on streaks, they feel unstoppable. And also, I would say probably his biggest attributes… he doesn’t have the best footwork in the world, he’s not the hardest striker in the world, he’s not the best wrestler in the world but his best attributes are one, his speed, and two, he has fantastic conditioning. Having said that, obviously you know what I’m doing. I’m working very hard on my speed, and I’m working very, very hard on my conditioning.

NWFS: So have you brought anybody in to kind of help mimic that?
Leben: Absolutely. Right now I have a phenomenal camp. I’m grappling with a guy named Aaron Shiagi. He’s an absolutely amazing grappler. He’s worked with Ken Shamrock and he’s worked with Alistair Overeem for years on their grappling. He’s one of those guys who doesn’t fight so not everyone knows his name, but absolutely just a ninja on the ground. Also, I’m working with Burton Richardson, who’s been training MMA originally since the dawn of time. He actually trained with Bruce Lee and he was back in the old stick fighting days. Burton is phenomenal at technique, and phenomenal at developing a game plan. So I’m working with them as far as my grappling goes, and Burton also with my hands. Then I have the Edwards brothers, Tasi and Eric Edwards… both these brothers have absolutely phenomenal kickboxing. They’re big and they’re fast, and they’re in the gym working with me and working on my hands. My boxing coach, Joe Kim. He’s coached boxers all the way up to the Olympics. So he’s working on me with my hands. And then last but not least, Greg Thompson who is Nate Quarry’s coach. He helps coach Ed Herman and a lot of other UFC fighters. He’s also phenomenal at developing a game plan, not to mention one of the best strength and conditioning coaches I’ve ever worked with.

NWFS: What are your keys to winning this fight?
Leben: The keys to winning this fight are to go out and implement my gameplan on Aaron Simpson. I want to go out and I want to be aggressive, and I want to go after him. Also, I want to push the pace. I don’t want to stand in front of him and let him shoot double legs on me. I want to go out and look to throw some heavy hands. And then also be very active on the ground. I think one of the keys for me when it comes to the ground game is I need to be on top. And if I’m not on top, I need to be working very hard to stand back up or get a reversal. So those are really the key things that I’m focusing on right now.

NWFS: Now you being in Season One of The Ultimate Fighter and seeing all The Ultimate Fighter seasons since, what do you think of the show looking back at it?
Leben: What do I think of it? Obviously its taken on a whole new life. When I was in The Ultimate Fighter, we weren’t even sure that it was going to air on TV. And now here they are in their eleventh season. And it seems like its going to be one of those series like The Real World that just runs forever. And now its a huge deal. I think that The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 – obviously maybe I’m a little biased – was the best season ever. Season 1 saved the UFC. It brought so much mainstream attention to the UFC, I think that particular season may have actually saved this sport we love so much. Having said that, some of the seasons are good, some of them are bad. For me, I don’t really watch them because I don’t really care about drama. That’s not my thing. I love to watch great fights. So I always watch the UFC. I watch K-1 and I watch grappling tapes. But as far as watching who shit on what or who pissed on what, I guess I’ve grown up a little bit because it doesn’t interest me that much.

NWFS: As a fighter, when you see, for example, NFL football players making a lot of money and you see MMA fighters that don’t make a lot of money but who are giving their all to the sport, what are your thoughts on this situation?
Leben: …NFL players are phenomenal athletes. Basketball players are phenomenal athletes. Baseball players & soccer players are phenomenal athletes, and their sports have been around for a long time. The fact of the matter is that our sport just hasn’t been around a long time.. Ten years ago, to be the UFC champion, you didn’t have to be a phenomenal athlete. All that is changing now, and I believe that as that changes, and as the popularity of the sport increases, hopefully those paydays are going to continue to go up and up. More or less, that’s what we’re seeing for the top guys.

Unfortunately for the entry-level guys, they’re getting paid next to nothing which breaks my heart a little bit to be honest with you. If you’re the last person drafted and you sit on the bench for a season in the NFL, you get over a hundred thousand dollars. And let’s say you sit on the bench for four years, now you got a pension for the rest of your life. I mean, I’ve been with the UFC for five years now, and they don’t provide us with anything. You’d think they would offer insurance for your training camps while your signed with them because that’s when you get hurt, not at the fights. Or to offer a 401K or something to take care of the guys who are more or less giving their lives to the sport, especially the guys that have been in the sport for a long time. In my case this will be my fifteenth fight with the UFC, and I’ve won some and I’ve lost some, but I’ve never made it up to those Randy Couture and those Chuck Liddell paydays. When my fighting career is over, even though I’ve made millions for the UFC, I’m left with nothing unless I save on my own.

NWFS: And guys like you that go out there and don’t necessarily think about the W as much as you do about the entertainment and you’re swinging for the fences and your swinging for the fans, how does that come into play?
Leben: To be honest with you, Dana’s actually pretty good about taking care of me. Believe it or not, I’m on a higher pay scale than most. They take pretty good care of me for the way I fight. Dana and Joe have both been vocal about the fact that they appreciate a fighter like me who goes out and does that, you know. I do wish though obviously that there was a fighters union or something but we’re a long ways away from that. And we’re a long ways away from those ten million dollar paydays like you see in boxing… I mean its tough because, especially right now, the UFC is just really the big dog. Back in the day you had a lot of smaller shows that did all right. You had Gladiator Challenge, King of the Cage, those were kind of big shows. You had the WEC in America, and then of course you had Pride and Shooto and all these other shows. Now besides Strikeforce, which is definitely not of the level of the UFC, that’s for sure, really your only option if you want to make any money is the UFC.

NW Fightscene would like to thank Chris for taking the time out for this extended interview. He’ll be fighting Aaron Simpson at 185 lbs, this Saturday, June 19th on the main card of The Ultimate Fighter Finale in Las Vegas and shown on SpikeTV. More info at UFC.com or Spike.com. Get all the latest news from The Crippler himself online at chrisleben.com and twitter.com/cripplerufc. His gym, Ultimate Fighting School, is located a couple blocks from the U of Hawaii in Honolulu at 1035 University Ave. Find out more at ultimatefightschool.com.

Unan1mous Clothing: Always Winning cuz we’re Always Working!