Leben is the perfect specimen to trial a non-title five round main event. I don't think there's any question that Munoz deserves to be the favorite and will be the safer prediction, especially coming off his career heightening victory over Demian Maia at UFC 131.
However, Leben's huge heart and unfaltering, zombie-like fortitude could benefit largely from the extended format, and his whirling blender of wild, caveman punches keep coming until you activate his "off-button", which is far from an easy task. I can't help but recall Leben's thrilling TKO comeback against Aaron Simpson, who has a style similar to Munoz, after being buried by takedowns in the first round.
Then again, Simpson's cardio obviously flatlined in that fight, and Munoz has exhibited no such signs and is a better finisher than his D1 wrestling counterpart. Leben is no Demian Maia off his back though he does have one of the more under-rated guard games in MMA, making his meathook punches and resolute intrepidity an inimitable package and cementing him as one of the sport's most consistent wild cards.
Recently, Leben rebounded from consecutive losses (Michael Bisping by decision, Jake Rosholt by submission) to post a spirited three-fight streak. Less than a month after the come-from-behind stoppage of Simpson, Leben stepped in to face Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116 and submitted the Japanese-Korean Judoka in the third round. Brian Stann then joined the great Anderson Silva as the only fighters to stop Leben with strikes, but a signature Leben performance followed in a devastating first round knockout of legend Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132.
Undefeated after five fights, Munoz lost his UFC light-heavyweight debut against Matt Hamill by way of a rugged head kick. "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" made the twenty-pound plunge to 185 and has only lost one of his seven fights since to perennial contender Yushin Okami. In that stretch, his last three outings have been the most impressive to date: a decision over Simpson, a knockout of C.B. Dollaway and a scrappy decision over Maia.
Leben agrees that this fight should determine who faces UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
“Munoz is on a roll. I just knocked out Wanderlei Silva, a legend, in 27 seconds!” Leben said. “This is the fight for No. 1 contender — what more could you ask for?”
The two fighters have a very different relationship with the middleweight champion Silva. Leben famously faced “The Spider” in his UFC debut, and was demolished by the then-unheralded Brazilian in such a spectacular style that it propelled Silva to a world-title shot. Leben is convinced that he can make the most of a rematch should it come his way.
“I fought Anderson five years ago. I was a different fighter at that time,” Leben said. “It would be a completely different fight (this time). Completely different.”
Munoz, on the other hand, has gotten to know Silva outside the cage.
“I’ve trained with him extensively,” Munoz said. “I had a Bruce Lee moment with Anderson. He held pads for me the first time I worked out with him and afterwards he sat me down in the middle of the cage and told me his philosophy of fighting and how I should be thinking when I go out there to fight. The guy is an unbelievable fighter, but at the same time he’s an unbelievable person and friend to me.”
Munoz acknowledges it would be hard to fight his friend, saying, “I guess we cross that bridge when we get to it.” It’s something both Munoz and Silva assumed would never happen.
“Anderson said that he’d be gone and retired by the time I was moving up the ranks, but it’s been such a meteoric rise,” Munoz said.
UFC 138 may be lost in the shuffle of MMA’s bumper fall schedule, but ignore the naysayers. In Leben vs. Munoz, it has an exciting, meaningful headliner between two of the most important fighters at 185 pounds. To add intrigue to the fight, it’s also the first-ever five-round non-title fight.
“If people are going to complain about that,” Zelaznik said, “I don’t know what to say other than close your mouth, open your eyes and ears, watch the fight and then come back and judge.
All about: UFC 138, Chris Leben, Mark Muñoz
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