Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
After the long and storied career that Chris Leben has had, he cannot be too angry at his situation. He has fought some of the best MMA fighters in the world, and has earned a reputation as a people’s champion. Leben went in the Octagon ready to stand toe-to-toe with any one that was across the cage from him. He poured his heart and soul into the fight, and for that, the fans say “thank you”.
No matter how storied a career he has had, it has come time for him to say goodbye.
Leben told his corner to stop the fight last night after suffering some huge shots from Uriah Hall. The fight in itself was strange to see. In typical Leben fashion, he was plodding toward Hall at all times while Hall walked backwards and picked his shots that were landing with incredible power. Leben went into the fight clearly expecting a brawl, whereas Hall wanted no part of it.
Leben has been praised for his chin. He has taken some of the biggest shots the UFC has even seen and would find a way to stay in his fight. However, Hall was landing brutal elbows to the chin and was able to drop Leben late in the first. The corner stoppage was a tough moment to see because Leben was always a warrior. It is now obvious that he is not the fighter that he once was and the time has come for him to walk away from the sport.
I hope he does. His performances have been lacking, and no one wants to see an athlete take more damage than they have to. Hang the gloves up, Leben. You have done enough.
