SANTA MONICA (二月 6, 2015) - Bellator MMA是自豪地宣布簽署 Chris “The Crippler” Leben (22-11) 以獨家多年, 多打合同. The former World Extreme Cagefighting Middleweight World Champion has fought professionally since 2002, and holds the record for most fights in the UFC at 185-pounds (22).

 

Since taking a break from the sport in 2014, Leben has resided in San Diego, 加利福尼亞州. and served as a coach at Victory MMA & 身體素質. Known for his tendency to put on an exciting show each and every time he enters the cage, Leben was a member of the inaugural cast of “The Ultimate Fighter” alongside fellow Bellator MMA competitors Stephan Bonnar 和 喬希Koscheck. The 35-year-old has fought elite talent throughout his mixed martial arts tenure, against names the likes of: 萬德雷·席爾瓦, 安德森·席爾瓦, Brian Stann, 邁克爾·比斯平, Patrick Cote, 馬克·穆尼奧斯, and Bellator MMA’s own 阿萊西奧Sakara.

 

“If I were to draw up the prototypical Bellator MMA competitor, there would be parts of Chris [生活] in there,“Bellator MMA總裁斯科特·科克說：. “The guy has never had a boring fight and as I’ve said from day one, we’re going to continue to grow from the ground up and buy from the top down. I know that Chris still has a lot of fight left in him and I’m excited to see him fight We are hoping to see his Bellator debut this Spring.”

 

“Focusing on just coaching at Victory MMA has been amazing, but recently, I started to get the itch to compete again,” Leben said. “So I extended an olive branch to the people at Bellator and here I am. 我在偉大的形狀, I love the possible matchups this roster has to offer and I’m ready to show the world why they call me ‘The Crippler.’”

 

Leben joins a budding roster of Bellator MMA talent, with recent signings that include: 本森·亨德森, Anastasia Yankova, Lena Ovchynnikova, 和 謝爾蓋Kharitonov.

 

It has yet to be determined what weight class Leben will compete at, but when asked what division he hopes to settle in, Leben made it clear: “I’ll go wherever the big fights are.”