Det har sedan en tid tillbaka stått klart att Chris ”The Crippler” Leben efter sin ettåriga avstängning är klar för match mot tjecken Karlos Vemola på UFC 155: Dos Santos vs Velasquez II den 29 december. MMAnytt har nu fått bekräftat av Lebens manager Mazdak Cavian att hans match kommer att flyttas från underkortet till galans huvudkort.
Leben avstängning var resultatet av att han testade positivt för smärtstillande för smärtstillande efter hans match mot Mark Munoz på UFC 138. Sedan dess har Leben genomgått behandling för sitt beroende av värktabletter och alkohol och i dagsläget är han i god form inför den kommande utmaningen.
”The Crippler” tog nyligen chansen att svara på fansens frågor via Facebook och nedan kan man läsa om vilken vinst under hans som är hans favorit, tankar kring att gå upp en viktklass, hur han fick sitt smeknamn och annat smått och gott.
Favorite win in your career?
That would have to be a toss up between Wanderlei Silva or Akiyama. Wanderlei was my hero and Akiyama being my second fight in 2 weeks. No ones ever done that so that’s pretty cool too.
Do you have any interest at possible moving up to 205, as the weight cuts might get harder with age?
Actually yeah. At this point in my career I’m interested in good fights, weight isn’t as much an issue for me as long as I thought it would be a good, exciting and challenging fight for me.
How ready are you to knock out your next opponent?
So ready. Training camp has been going awesome, I’m in the best shape of my life, for real this time. Heart rates at 44 beats a minute, diet, sleep, everything is perfect. Nothing will stand in my way to make this come back.
Would you fight GSP for 50 Million if Anderson Silva got hurt?
Hell yeah!
Advice for aspiring fighters?
As Iron sharpen iron, so one man sharpen another. You’re only as good as the people around you. Do your research and find the best gym with the best training partners you can.
Would you ever move down to WW, I think theres a ton of good matchups there for a guy like you. 2. How many more years do you think you have left in you?
Well, I walk around at 220lbs so 185lbs is already hard enough for me to make. There’s no way I think I can ever make 170lbs. As far as how many more years I have left, I’m not sure. With my recent lifestyle change, I think I’m going to be able to squeeze more out. I feel younger than I have in the last ten years.
How much have you missed fighting?
I miss fighting so much. What is a warrior with no battle? Although I love training, I can push myself so much harder and the intensity is so much higher when you have a date set for competition.
How would you say your overall ground game has improved since TUF?
Well, I consider myself a martial artist, not a fighter. What that means is a martial artist is always striving for improvement. TUF was eight years ago for me. Since then I’ve spent the majority of my days in the gym and the majority of those I spent developing my ground game. I think I have great ground game, I just don’t get to use it that often. It’s not my fault if I hit them and they fall down.
Out of everyone you fought, who hit the hardest?
I been hit a lot of times by a lot of people and a lot of them were hard shots. But if I had to pick one, I have to say Terry martin wacked me pretty hard. I got pretty lucky at the end of that fight.
What does it feel like to get rocked and do you recall the worst you have ever been rocked (in a fight or sparring)? Any advice on how to recover from a big shot?
Well, when I’ve been rocked in my fights, it’s not really a pain thing at all. It’s more like being dizzy and off balance. I find myself focusing hard to find my bearings. My way of recovering is just to start swinging. I figure if they’re close enough to hit me, then even though they may be a little blurry, I can hit them too.
How did you pick your nickname?
You know i’ve had a couple of nicknames over the years. I think in the UFC I”ve been both the Catsmasher and the Crippler. Thing about a nickname is that you don’t really get to pick it. Honestly, I remember watching one of my fights and Mike Goldberg calling me the crippler. he may have just made it up for all I know, but I like it, it’s got a ring to it. It’s fitting.
Did any fighters inspired you to fight like for example Fedor?
Yeah, honestly Wanderlei Silva was one of my inspirations. I remember back in the day before you could get pride in the US, I’d go down and get Pride bootlegs from the Japanese toy store by my house. That’s one of the things that got me started.
Did you ever want revenge outside the show on them clowns that tormented you on TUF?
You know i did at first. But I learned a lot about myself from those clowns, LOL. and now, we’re all good. I made amends with both Bobby and Koscheck and we’re all cool now. But yes, at first most definitely I did.
What do you think has been most beneficial from your time off?
You know, hind sites 20/20 and I’m glad I had the time off. It gave me that ability to work on myself and focus on some of my issues outside of the cage that were hindering my performance inside the cage. I’m glad to say I’ve corrected those problems, I’m walking the line, and come Dec 29 I’m going to be ready to go.
Besides MMA what is you’re other hobbies?
Doomsday prepping.
What are thoughts on the Diaz brothers? Which one would you fight?
You know I had a chance to train with them both when I was out in San Francisco. they were both really cool guys, they’re jiu jitsu is top notch. It’s a good thing none of them are in my weight class so I don’t have to pick one of them to fight.
Do you see yourself as a threat to the top contenders in the division or will you have to knock off the ring rust first?
I’m a threat. Anyone that gets in the cage with me. As far as where i’m at, I have to work my way back up. I’ve been out for a year, that’s just the way things go. But, I can’t wait to get in there and show the world Leben 2.0 I’m practicing better than I ever have, sky’s the limit.
