Chris Leben’s fighting days are over.
After a loss to Uriah Hall in December, Leben has re-confirmed his retirement by issuing a statement on his Facebook page.
The veteran of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter went 22-11 in his pro career, including 12 knockout wins and five more via submission.
During his lengthy UFC run, “The Crippled” defeated the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Aaron Simpson, Jorge Santiago and Alessio Sakara. He also fought – and lost – to such notables as Anderson Silva, Michael Bisping and Brian Stann.
Here’s Leben’s official statement:
Dear fans:
man, it’s been a long couple weeks pondering this real big decision. My career was one hell of a roller coaster ride. Highs and lows and everything in between, but I wouldn’t change anything. It’s made me who I am today. And without all of you, there’s no way I could have got through it. The facebook, tweets, emails, all the people that stood behind me through the ups and downs, you were my motivation and my drive. Thank you. But I gotta say, I’ve had the most fights in the middleweight division, I’ve landed the most strikes in the UFC, certainly don’t have the best record, but my opponents always knew they were getting in a fight! The UFC is the cream of the crop. The UFC athletes are getting better every year. I survived almost 10 years in the gauntlet that we call the UFC. It’s my time to bow out from competing, certainly not from this sport. Time for me to make the switch over to coaching, cornering, and helping younger fighters in any way I can. If you’re in San Diego, I’ll be coaching the team at Victory, please stop in and drop by to say hi. Yeah, I’m not going to make this a tear jerker, I’m gonna miss it, I’m going to miss you guys, thank you so much! Peace i’m out! LOL
Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/99519/chris-leben-issues-statement-thanks-fans/
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