Chris Leben

Christian Cyrus Leben (born July 21, 1980) is an American former mixed martial artist, referee, and bare knuckle boxer.

A professional MMA competitor from 2002 until 2013, he most notably competed in the UFC in the Middleweight division, compiling a record of 12–10 in 22 appearances for the organization.

Leben first appeared in the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, and also fought in the now-defunct WEC.

He began his UFC career with five victories in a row before suffering a knockout loss to future UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, and was known for his toughness, chin, determination, and powerful left hand.

Leben was the inaugural WEC Middleweight Champion.

Leben is from Portland, Oregon and has one older brother and one younger sister.

He grew up without his father around, and he did not meet his father until he was 23 years old.

Because of this, Leben's mother worked hard for many hours daily as a bartender so that she could support the family.

Growing up Leben enjoyed skateboarding, dirt biking, and snowboarding.

When he was in middle school, he began watching the UFC and became very interested in MMA.

He began training in boxing, and then was on the wrestling team at Benson Polytechnic High School, picking up the sport rather quickly.

Leben did not receive a very good education in his childhood, and did not know how to read or write even after graduating high school.

Leben soon joined the United States Army, falsely being told by the recruiter that he would be allowed to wrestle for the army's team.

When he found that he would not be allowed to wrestle for the army, Leben went AWOL and was discharged.

While visiting his brother at work one day, Leben noticed an MMA gym located across the street, home to Team Quest.

Trainer Robert Follis accepted Leben into the team, and soon Leben was training with Randy Couture, Matt Lindland, Nate Quarry, and Ed Herman.

After refining his talent, Leben began fighting as an amateur, achieving a record of 5–0, and capturing the FCFF and UFCF middleweight titles.

After his success in the amateur ranks where he went 4–0, Leben turned professional.

He won his first five fights, three of them by knockout, and in the process won the Gladiator Challenge, Sportfight, and WEC Middleweight titles.

Leben achieved wins against Benji Radach and Mike Swick, but suffered a decision loss to Joe Doerksen.

Leben was one of the most controversial and outspoken fighters on The Ultimate Fighter 1 due to his variously abrasive and melancholy personality.

In the first episode, while intoxicated, he urinated on future teammate Jason Thacker's bed, and stole his pillow.

One night when everyone in the household was drinking, Leben challenged Bobby Southworth to fight who then called Leben a "fatherless bastard" on account of Leben's father being absent during his childhood, requiring Leben being physically restrained from accosting Southworth.

Leben then began sobbing and proceeded to sleep outside.

After a heated confrontation precipitated by Josh Koscheck and Southworth spraying a sleeping Leben with a hose, Leben broke a door with his fist.

After the confrontation, UFC president Dana White set up a match between Leben and Koscheck, which Leben lost by unanimous decision due to Koscheck's ability to score points by controlling Leben on the ground.

Later in the show, teammate Nate Quarry was eliminated from the competition due to an ankle injury and was able to choose a previously eliminated fighter to replace him.

He chose Leben, who was later defeated by Kenny Florian due to doctor stoppage in the first semi-final match after Florian opened a cut above Leben's eye with an elbow strike.

His losses on the show are not on his professional record, as the fights were classified by Nevada as exhibition bouts due to the decisions of the bouts not being disclosed until the fights aired on the show rather than being posted immediately following the fights.

On April 9, 2005, Leben fought Jason Thacker on the undercard of the live finale of The Ultimate Fighter 1.

Thacker was not amused when he watched the show and found out Leben had used his bed as a urinal.

Speaking with Dana White, Thacker demanded a match against Leben at the finale.

The match was set up, and Leben won 95 seconds into the first round after referee stoppage due to strikes.

Afterward, Leben apologized to Thacker for urinating on his bed, saying he had since given up drinking because of that sort of incident.

After the show, Leben moved to Seattle, Washington, to train with AMC Pankration.

He has competed in several UFC events since the show and is the only person to have fought in the first six Ultimate Fight Night events, during which he earned a string of victories: a split decision win over future TUF 4 finalist Patrick Côté, an armbar submission against Edwin Dewees, a first-round TKO over Jorge Rivera, and a unanimous decision over Luigi Fioravanti.

Leben was defeated by Anderson Silva at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5 on June 28, 2006, by KO 49 seconds into the first round, but returned at UFC Fight Night 6 on August 17, 2006, where he defeated Jorge Santiago by knockout 35 seconds into the second round.

He is the only fighter to fight at every event under the "Fight Night" banner.

Leben then lost at UFC 66 to longtime UFC veteran Jason MacDonald via technical submission due to a modified guillotine choke with less than a minute remaining in the second round.

Leben then lost to Kalib Starnes by a very close unanimous decision at UFC 71 on May 26, 2007.