UFC 138: Leben vs Munoz

[Kris P Lettus]

Tomorrow free on Spike..

Preliminary card (Facebook)
Bantamweight bout: Chris Cariaso vs. Vaughan Lee[1]
Welterweight bout: Chris Cope vs. Che Mills[1]
Heavyweight bout: Rob Broughton vs. Philip De Fries[1]
Featherweight bout: Michihiro Omigawa vs. Jason Young[1]
Welterweight bout: John Maguire vs. Justin Edwards[1]

Main card
Light Heavyweight bout: Cyrille Diabaté vs. Anthony Perosh[1]
Lightweight bout: Terry Etim vs. Eddie Faaloloto[1]
Welterweight bout: Thiago Alves vs. Papy Abedi[1]
Bantamweight bout: Brad Pickett vs. Renan Barão[1]
Middleweight bout: Chris Leben vs. Mark Muñoz[1]

First nontitle main event that is scheduled for 5 rounds.. I got to meet Munoz at "Battle on the Bayou" and he was a super nice guy.. Too bad Leben is gonna smash him..

[weather vane]

Alves missed weight again. Got it on the second try though. What a clod.

[Kris P Lettus]

Shit..

3 times out of 7 fights..

Dana was pissed at him at UFC 117 also and kept a portion of his fight purse..

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Well you still make weight if u miss it the first time and get it the second... dunno if Leben will smash Munoz. Think it's gonna be a knockdown dragout time fight.

[Kris P Lettus]

They give them like 4 hours or something to make weight.. Tyson Griffen was like 7 over so that's why his fight last week was "catch weight"..

I don't understand profighters not making weight, specially when a guy like Rumble was cutting over 40 lbs..

[Kris P Lettus]

http://mmaaddicts.com/dann/ufc-138-leben-munoz/chris-leben-mark-munoz.JPG

http://mmaaddicts.com/dann/ufc-138-leben-munoz/thiago-alves-papy-abedi.JPG

UFC 138 weigh-in photos: An MMAjunkie.com image gallery
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Nov 04, 2011 at 4:00 pm ET

BIRMINGHAM, England – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene for today's official "UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz" weigh-ins, where all 20 competitors successfully made weight for Saturday's event, the lone U.K. show of 2011.

Today's festivities, which saw all but Thiago Alves make weight on his first attempt, took place at National Indoor Arena's Community Hall in Birmingham, England. The nearby LG Arena hosts Saturday's event, which airs in the U.S. via same-day tape delay on Spike TV (and live in other countries).

Check out images of all the fighters, including headliners Chris Leben and Mark Munoz, as well as the full lineup of UFC 138 fighters.

Today's ceremony saw a previously peaceful main-event matchup get a bit tense with headliners Leben and Munoz standing nose-to-nose before offering a bit of less-than-friendly pre-fight banter. The same could be said for the Alves vs. Papy Abedi contest, which saw the Swedish UFC newcomer prove his confidence by pushing forward, cigar firmly clenched in mouth, into the face of "Pitbull."

Alves had a bit of trouble making weight on his first attempt but came back after the close of the official ceremonies and made the fight official at 171 pounds.

Additional highlights included light heavyweight Cyrille Diabate making use of a doormat (with his fight team's logo, of course) to clean his feet before stepping on the scale, as well as a parade of international "Woo!" calls when Chris Cope hit the scales.

For a full rundown of the proceedings, check out our UFC 138 weigh-in results post. Additionally, check out images of all the fighters below.

And for more on UFC 138, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

[Next Big Thing]

Rumbles missed weight a couple of times too.

I honestly see Munoz trying to get this fight to the ground early and often. It gives him a better chance of winning than trying to go toe to toe with Leben.

[Kris P Lettus]

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[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Honestly Alves probably just mis calculated on the first weigh in. apparently his diet has been better.

[RP]

This is a huge fight for Munoz.

[Nark Order]

I don't have enough confidence in Leben to call this a lock for him. Really hope he smashes Munoz though.

[Next Big Thing]

Maybe they should have Sonnen/Munoz as a #1 contender fight if Anderson won't be ready to fight in the next 4 months.

[Nark Order]

Aw, I clicked on that not knowing that the event was over. Well fuck.

My fault but damn.

[Kris P Lettus]

lol I did the same..

Still gonna watch that shit though..

[Hadouken]

HADOUKEN!!!

[Kris P Lettus]

FAALALATO

[Kris P Lettus]

Terry Etim like a BOSS..

[Kris P Lettus]

This dude looks mad Croatian but he is Austrailian..

http://video.ufc.tv/fighter_images/Anthony_Perosh/anthony_perosh_head.png

[Kris P Lettus]

The UK fans hate this lay and pray shit..

[Kris P Lettus]

Che Mills is a monster..

WAR Alves

[Kris P Lettus]

Dude fighting Thiago is f'n huge..

[Kris P Lettus]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Alves with the choke..

[Jamstar]

great fight for UK John McGuire. Awesome bout

[Kris P Lettus]

Mason McGuire

[Kris P Lettus]

Good fights.. Hate that about Leben.. You could kinda tell he was looking for an out.. Gotta watch it again but it kinda looked like he called the refs attention to the cut when they first did the doctor's stoppage.. It was hilarious towards the end of the first when Munoz was hammer Leben's face and Leben got up doing his walking dead shit.. Munoz' face was hilarious..

[Kris P Lettus]

Also, why did the US broadcast not show the post fight interview with Munoz??

Is Blue Mountain State really that important??

[Kris P Lettus]

November 5 2011 Last updated at 07:25 PM ET
Barao, Pickett, Mills and Etim Win UFC 138 Bonuses
By Michael David Smith
Lead Blogger

Renan Barao, Brad Pickett, Che Mills and Terry Etim are all $70,000 richer after picking up bonuses for their performances at UFC 138.

Barao and Pickett won the Fight of the Night bonus for their fast-paced bantamweight brawl in the co-main event. Pickett is an Englishman who had the Birmingham fans on his side, and he came out swinging to get the crowd roaring. But it was Barao who showed he had too much for Pickett to handle, ultimately forcing Pickett to tap out to a rear-naked choke after just over four minutes of intense action.

This was Barao's first bonus in his fourth fight under the Zuffa banner. Pickett had previously won a Fight of the Night and a Submission of the Night award, with both of those coming in the WEC. For both men, the bonus makes this the most lucrative fight of their career.

UFC newcomer Che Mills finished off Chris Cope in just 40 seconds, and as a result he won the Knockout of the Night award. For Mills, the $70,000 bonus undoubtedly makes this by far the biggest payday of his MMA career.

And Terry Etim, who needed just 17 seconds to force Eddie Faaloloto to tap to a guillotine choke, walked away with the Submission of the Night award. Etim has now won the Submission of the Night bonus a whopping four times.
Read More: UFC News Brad+Pickett, Che+Mills, Renan+Barao, Terry+Etim, UFC+138

[RP]

Really disappointed in Leben. He could have kept going. That cut was not that bad. Munoz was whooping him good.

[Kris P Lettus]

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[Kris P Lettus]

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[Next Big Thing]

I feel like Leben just gassed out and was scared as hell of possibly getting battered for five rounds , but didn't want to get KOed either.

[The Show Off]

Leben is one of those guys that I have to give the benefit of the doubt to, if he says he couldn't see I have to be inclined to believe him.

[Crimson]

Also, why did the US broadcast not show the post fight interview with Munoz??

Is Blue Mountain State really that important??

lol..it was actually a funny episode

[Crimson]

Munoz beat up on Leben pretty good..but his defense is poor. Seems everytime he had Leben in trouble all of a sudden he would be in trouble on bottom.

[Kris P Lettus]

lol..it was actually a funny episode

I don't care..

I love post fight interviews.. You get insight into the fighters mind and the emotion of the fight..

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Munoz's ground and pound is ridiculous. The thing about him, is he takes risks on the ground to get in positions to drop those fucking ridiculous bombs, so guys can get position on him, but honestly, since he's probably one of the best scramblers in the division, it doesn't matter, he recovers fast and often ends up on top again, landing those brutal bombs. And no matter who he's fought, if he's been in a position to land those bombs, the fight has changed dramatically. He's also CLEARLY undersized for 185, which is saying something given how powerful he is.

[Kris P Lettus]

He's 6'0" 185lbs..

How is he undersized??

[Kris P Lettus]

Also, him vs Chael will be a fucking WAR..

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

He's 6'0" 185lbs..

How is he undersized??

Look at his hips, he carries baby fat on them. He could drop the 15 pounds and be a lean mean skullfucking machine at 170.

[Kris P Lettus]

What baby fat??

http://mmadiehards.com/live/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Mark-Munoz-lifting-gate.jpg

[Kris P Lettus]

To me it looks like he walks around at 200 and already cuts 15lbs..

[Next Big Thing]

I think Munoz vs. Sonnen would be a great match up. Munoz pushes the pace and might be the only guy at 185 whose wrestling is just as good as Sonnen's. He also might have the slight edge in striking.

Unfortunately, I think both him and Sonnen would get destroyed by a healthy Anderson Silva.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

lower back fat son. It's for real. 6 ft 170 is QUITE doable.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

I think Munoz vs. Sonnen would be a great match up. Munoz pushes the pace and might be the only guy at 185 whose wrestling is just as good as Sonnen's. He also might have the slight edge in striking.

Unfortunately, I think both him and Sonnen would get destroyed by a healthy Anderson Silva.

I mean Sonnen has some performances that suggest he'd dust Munoz, namely the Stann and Silva performances BUT look at how Munoz faired against Demian Maia. After a rocky first round where he was taken by surprise, he took over the fight. He's a slow starter, but once he gets going it's business time. Dunno how Sonnen would deal with that gnp, cuz at SOME point he's gonna have to deal with it, even if he's winning the takedown battle (which he would quite easily I think), just Munoz scrambles so damned well.

[Next Big Thing]

You're right on. Only thing is, Sonnen took Stann to the ground and dominated him from there. I don't know if he'd be able to do that to Munoz as easily. Also, I still discount the Silva performance based on Anderson's injury and Chael's testosterone levels. I know it's debatable, but I don't see him dominating a healthy AS the same way.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Well Munoz doesn't have great take down d, but that's just because he's so good at scrambling, at some point he ends up in a good position when he gets taken down. One of the few guys who can actually do that on a consistent basis. He gets himself into trouble, but he reminds me of Fedor in the sense that he's always looking to finish and inflict lots of punishment.

[Crimson]

I dont think they should delay a Sonnen/Silva money makermain event. If Munoz beats Sonnen then they lose a potential rematch.

Im sure ppv sales Sonnen/Silva > Munoz/Silva

[Kris P Lettus]

Maybe make Munoz fight Yushin Okami..

[Next Big Thing]

The UFC usually pairs winners with winners and losers with losers. Beating Okami wouldn't exactly move him up in the rankings, but if he wanted to avenge the loss it would makes sense.

If they can do Sonnen/Silva in the next 3 or 4 months they should definitely do that fight, but if Anderson is going to be out for awhile I'd rather see Chael fight Munoz than sit for six months.

[Kris P Lettus]

Chael vs Munoz is def a great match up, but as Crimson said, they'll lose a HUGE rematch if Munoz wins.. Also, with the lack of depth right now there are only a handfull of guys out there..

No announced fight:
Chael-w
Munoz-w
Leben-L
Stann-L
Okami-L

Wandy is fighting Le and Belfort is fighting Rumble..

The only other guy out there off the top of my head is my boy Alan Belcher, but he is just coming back off a year long injury.. He has won three straight, and IMO should have won against Akiyama at UFC 100, which would make his win streak 8 dating all the way back to 2008.. But does a Munoz/Belcher match really make sense right now??

This is making my brain hurt..

[Kris P Lettus]

Report: Chris Leben cut 21 pounds in 24 hours for Mark Munoz fight
by Geno Mrosko on Nov 6, 2011 6:00 PM EST in UFC Results

After just one round inside the cage with Mark Munoz last night (Sat., Nov. 5, 2011) at UFC 138 in Birmingham, England, Chris Leben was visibly winded.

I'm talking hands on hips, sucking air like a vaccum. He was gassed and it greatly affected his performance. He ultimately lost the fight after his corner called a stop to it at the end of the second round due to his not being able to see via a cut above his eye.

Upon second viewing, though, "The Crippler's" eye looked okay mere moments after he was attended to by ringside physicians. He said he was "choking on blood" but it certainly didn't look that bad.

As it turns out, his corner had more than one reason to be concerned.

According to a report from Fighters Only, Leben had a terrible weight cut that resulted in his having to lose 21 pounds in just 24 hours. It was so bad, in fact, that officials were apparently monitoring the situation and came extremely close to calling off the fight altogether.

Here's more from the report:

A source close to Leben told Fighters Only on Friday that Leben had been left "shattered" by the amount of weight he had to cut on weigh-in day.

He was in the hotel sauna from Friday morning hooded up and wearing layers of clothing as he sweated water out of his body.

His dehydration and general condition was such that one of the medical team backstage said Leben would be pulled from the fight if thing deteriorated any further.

A source close to Leben told Fighters Only on Friday that Leben had been left "shattered" by the amount of weight he had to cut on weigh-in day.

He was in the hotel sauna from Friday morning hooded up and wearing layers of clothing as he sweated water out of his body.

His dehydration and general condition was such that one of the medical team backstage said Leben would be pulled from the fight if thing deteriorated any further.

Cutting weight is nothing new in combat sports, as men like Jon Jones and Forrest Griffin have been known to cut between 20-40 pounds leading up to their fights in the light heavyweight division.

But not in 24 hours. That is, to put it bluntly, absurd.

Fierce competitor that he is, Leben soldiered on and went ahead with the fight but it was obvious from the word go he simply wasn't himself.

And now we know why.

Anyone think this diminishes Munoz's victory? And should fighters be allowed to compete if they have to cut that much weight in that short a time span?

Opinions, please.

I don't see how this's possible.. He was on the Dolce Diet and eating better than he ever had.. He looked completely lean in the video blogs leading up to the fight..

I think he was over whelmed by Munoz grappling and GnP.. Leben has always had and iron chin but he took ALOT of damage in those first two rounds..

[Kris P Lettus]

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Didn't know this happened with it being edited for US tv..

[Kris P Lettus]

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[Next Big Thing]

Sounds like more excuses from Leben, which is sadly becoming more common from him. Just like after the fight with Stann he said he did bad because he ate a bunch of candy after the weigh ins. You can't do stuff like that and then try to paint yourself as a contender at 185.

[Kris P Lettus]

He also said he had the flu after the Stann fight..

:(

[MoFo]

It said on Danas twitter that a fan jumped in the cage, what fight was that?

Also Barao looked awesome

[Kris P Lettus]

It said on Danas twitter that a fan jumped in the cage, what fight was that?



Look back 4 posts..

[Next Big Thing]

I guess Leben didn't do so hot because he has doped up on painkillers. He's been suspended for a year. Damn.

http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/11/28/chris-leben-suspended-for-one-year-after-failed-drug-test-at-ufc/

[MoFo]

Hes been suspended here in Birmingham twice now......wtf hes giving us a bad name

[Kris P Lettus]

I thought the walking dead shit came naturally, not with opiates..

[Funky Fly]

Hes been suspended here in Birmingham twice now......wtf hes giving us a bad name

No, he's giving you a good name. Just goes to show the testing process you guys have is that much better than what they use most of the time.

[Next Big Thing]

The UFC handles the testing themselves when they're in Britain.

The Brits have enough trouble finding good dentists and can't be bothered with drug testing. #CANIGETARIMSHOT