UFC 125 Preview Part Four: Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann

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Yes, it is true, the good folks at the UFC are rolling out another groan inducing co-main event for our enjoyment as we are being treated to Chris Leben (25-6; 13 KOs, 6 SUBs) vs. Brian Stann (9-3; 6 KOs, 1 SUB) this Saturday. On one level it’s an understandable decision as they have already seen two other, much more enticing, co-main events evaporate into thin air (Roy Nelson vs. Shane Carwin and Jose Aldo vs. Josh Grispi), but there is also the thought held by some (me) that any of the remaining three main card bouts would have been more deserving of the position.

Leben deserves the high profile slot for sure after he turned in back to back come from behind victories over Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama with only a two week layoff between them over the summer. But Brian Stann? Best I can tell the man’s claim to fame is being the former WEC Light Heavyweight title even though he was unable to defend said title even once. A 3-2 record inside the Octagon should hardly have qualified him to take on a resurgent Crippler who should be fighting his way up the ladder not down. But awesome matches have been borne out of much less than this so I’ll keep an open mind even though I don’t see this being any better than the Struve/McCorkle crapfest.

I feel as though heading into his impromptu double header most people were pretty much ready to write Leben’s career off. He currently has an 11-5 record in the UFC, a stint that started back on the original season of The Ultimate Fighter where his legacy will always be an unfortunate incident involving his urine and somebody else’s bed. He’s also somewhat infamous for lasting only 49 seconds against Anderson Silva and for testing positive for steroids after a fight with Michael Bisping which he lost. But now, a mere two fights later and the some pundits out there are declaring him as the next great challenger to Silva’s title. That has yet to come to fruition though Leben is once again being taken seriously as a threat in the Middleweight division and that is reflected in the -165 betting line that he is now sitting at.

Some have pointed to Leben’s recent DUI arrest and pending trial (sentencing?) as a possible weak spot that Stann will be able to exploit but I find that to be a tough theory to buy. Rather I see this playing out in a similar manner to Leben’s Fight of the Night with Akiyama only here he will be battling a more dangerous striker. Look for Stann to come out swinging and forcing Leben into a standup war. Stann certainly has more to throw than Leben but Leben is craftier and is very good at working with what he has to secure victory. If Stann thinks that he’ll be able to waltz in and get somewhere by going with the full court press he’s in for a quick education. I envision Leben using his aggression against him as he’ll weather the storm and slowly but surely empty his opponent’s gas tank. It will probably take well into the third round but at that point he should be able to escape with some sort of victory, most likely by submission.

Pick: Leben via 3rd Round submission