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MAIN kev tshwm sim:
THIAGO MOISÉS vs. DAVID CASTILLO
Sib NTIAJ TEB TITLE
CO-MAIN kev tshwm sim:
THIAGO ALVES vs. DAVID PUTVIN
CATCHWEIGHT BOUT
Friday, FEBRUARY 19th LIVE on AXS TV
LIVE at the UCCU CENTER in OREM, UTAH
Tickets are on sale NOW through CageTix.com
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Following an amicable agreement to settle the litigation between the two parties, the always entertaining and exciting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is returning to Bellator.
Bellator MMA is thrilled to have “Rampage,” one of the most recognizable fighters in the history of the sport, joining a very competitive light heavyweight division featuring champion Liam McGeary, Phil Davis, King Mo, Tito Ortiz, Emanuel Newton, Linton Vassell among others.
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 Mexican Consulate in Albuquerque, Efren Leyba, thiab
WMMAA Pan-American president Tomas Yu (chaw)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Lub ob hlis ntuj 15, 2016) – The second annual World MMA Association (WMMAA) Pan-American Congress, recently held at The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was a major success by all standards.
“The Pan-American Movement”, as it was named, brought together sports, tourism, and education for a common goal with more than 12 participating countries.
The Congress provided a rare opportunity for the entire WMMAA Pan-American family to collaborate with special partnerships like The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce thiab The Mexico Consulate in Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Global Education Department. PANAM Members, representatives of National Federations, Commissions, Association and the Organizing Committee of the WMMAA Pan-American Championship (OCPC), as well as athletes, coaches, xov xwm, sponsors and other stakeholders to meet and discuss issues of importance to the entire MMA movement.
In his closing speech to the Congress, Pan-American Division President Tomas Yu paid tribute to the excellent collaboration between Pan-American members.
“If you asked me to sprawl a couple of times, I would most definitely need some nitro coffee from Villa Myriam before I run out of breath, followed by the guaranteed use of Sore No More,” Yu hais tias. “But when it comes to fighting for our youth, for our MMA global goals – for cleaner competition, for a healthier, more peaceful and more flourishing SPORT – I will sprawl-jab-cross-kick like a champion. I will sprint the steepest trail in the Sandia Mountains. I will never stop until we raise our hands by victory. I am counting and exhorting all involved in the MMA industry to join us. We must go for the KO.”
 Over the course of the three-day Congress and 13-day PANAM Camp, there were special guest such as Legacy Champion Damacio Page, former UFC champion Jon “Bones” Jones thiab Carlos Condit. Participants heard from many respected speakers such as Health Committee Director Curt Chavez from eVOLV Strong, Hector Molina, Director of PANAM Regulatory Committee and Director of PANAM Medical Committee, Dr. Justo Pavia. The congress had interesting discussions on the following themes: ncaws pob, 2016 Expo MMA, structure of the “WMMAA Pan-American Movement”, global officials’ license and database, new era of Digital Sports Marketing Revolution, thiab cov 2016 Pan-American Championships.
Each day was divided in two general sessions with a half-day devoted to Rules and Regulations discussions for PANAM. The plenary sessions were followed by three simultaneous breakout sessions on respective sub-themes. All sessions were live-cast over the internet to allow the general public to hear discussions as it happened.
Two sessions began with presentations from a panel of speakers. The moderators of each panel were then responsible for the ensuing discussion period, which gave participants an opportunity to voice their opinions on issues. The main points from each session were carefully recorded by“ENLACE” – the new exclusive WMMAA correspondent program – to inform the Editorial Committee of the discussions at the end of each day. The final document reflected the main ideas to come out of the proceedings in Albuquerque, as well as information collected through the virtual WMMAA Pan-American Congress, allowing the WMMAA Pan-American family and public to submit written contributions.
 The mission of the 2016 WMMAA Pan-American Congress was to bring together sports, tourism and education for a united front and review the status of the WMMAA PANAM Movement in today’s evolving global society. Information was gathered and opinions sought regarding its future, in addition to providing structure, guidance, proposals and recommendations to all constituents and other stakeholders of the WMMAA PANAM Movement for its structured showcase and harmonious development within the global youth community.
Lub 2016 WMMAA Pan-American Congress was a great success and has left the WMMAA Pan-American Movement with a blueprint for the future. It is now time, ib zaug dua, for the PANAM family to translate words into action: We are the Future of MMA!
Ntaub ntawv:
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Click for fight highlights: Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez
Raug Monica, California. (Lub ob hlis ntuj 12, 2015) – When sifting through a list of Bellator MMA’s greatest fights, few names appear as often as "Hlau" Michael Chandler (14-3).
Hnub no, Bellator MMA is proud to announce that Chandler will be continuing to compete for the promotion for the foreseeable future, with the news that the former 155-pound champion has signed an exclusive multi-year, multi-fight extension to remain with the Scott Coker-led promotion.
“Michael Chandler is synonymous with our brand and doubles as an incredibly talented and exciting mixed martial artist,” said Bellator President Scott Coker. “Not every fighter or free agent aligns with our future plans, but when looking at Chandler’s resume, inking him to a long-term extension was a no-brainer. I look forward to getting him back in action as soon as possible.”
Chandler was also pleased with his extension, hais: “I’m ecstatic to continue my career with Scott Coker and Bellator MMA. It’s obvious that good things are continuing to happen for this promotion and it’s correlating to big opportunities for myself as well,"Chandler hais tias. “I can’t wait to get back in action and test myself against some of these new guys coming in and move back up through the ranks. Raws li ib txwm, my eyes are on that belt, and it will be back around my waist soon.”
A 14-fight Bellator MMA veteran, Chandler has been a member of the Viacom-owned promotion since 2010. Prior to joining the Bellator ranks, the Missouri native competed for Strikeforce. Amongst his notable victories, Chandler bested Eddie Alvarez via submission at “Bellator 58” in what many fans and pundits alike considered the fight of 2011.
Further along the way, Chandler defeated the likes of Patricky "Pitbull" Freire, Marcin Tuav, Rick Hawn, thiab David Rickels (2x). Of his 14 yeej raws li ib tug kws, Chandler has amassed 12 victories before reaching the judges’ scorecards.
Chandler remains in Bellator’s lightweight division, which includes kingpin Yuav Brooks, nrog rau Josh Thomson, Brandon Girtz, Melvin Guillard, Benson Henderson, Brent Primus, Derek Anderson, thiabKoj Awad.
Lewiston, Maine (Lub ob hlis ntuj 12, 2016) - Tshiab England Fights (NEF), America lub xov tooj-ib regional sib ntaus qib, yuav tuav nws tom ntej no kev tshwm sim, “NEF 22: TAG NRHO txoj kev ua tau NTAWM NO” rau Saturday, Plaub Hlis Ntuj 22, 2016nyob rau Androscoggin txhab nyiaj Colisée nyob rau hauv Lewiston, Maine. The fight card will feature a mix of mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing bouts. Nyuam qhuav pib hnub no, NEF announced the addition of a featherweight contest to the amateur portion of the “NEF 22” sib ntaus card. Bantamweight Champion Johnny Crafts (4-0) will move up in weight to face Taylor Costantino (2-1) at 145-pounds.
Crafts was successful last Saturday in his attempt to capture the inaugural NEF MMA Amateur Bantamweight Title. He took out Henry Clark (3-2) in the third round of their bout in Lewiston. Crafts is a decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) brown belt out of Team New England United (TSHIAB). He also cross-trains with Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) nyob rau hauv Lewiston.
“I’m excited to step up to 145 to fight Taylor,” said Crafts of the upcoming matchup with Costantino. “I will be very strong at that weight seeing as I cut pretty extensively to make 135. It will allow me to focus on different areas this camp instead of putting a lot of my energy into cutting weight.”
Costantino is himself coming off a big win last Saturday at “NEF 21.” It took him a mere 25-seconds to down Frank Johanson (0-1), a training partner of Crafts at CMBJJ, nyob rau hauv thawj puag ncig. Costantino is clear that he is coming to fight on Plaub Hlis Ntuj 23, and he does not plan on engaging in a grappling contest with Crafts.
“Respect to him for coming up in weight,” said Costantino of Crafts. “He’s a glorified pajama warrior that has never been punched in the face with any type of authority. He will clinch quickly and look for the takedown. He’ll realize real quick that he has never fought or trained with anybody like me.”
Crafts and Costantino are not strangers to one another. Several years ago, the two met in a jiu-jitsu tournament with Crafts coming out on top.
“Taylor and I have competed before in a sport jiu-jitsu tournament,” recalled Crafts. “Taylor says I am a glorified pajama warrior who has never been punched in the face, but if I recall correctly, I submitted him without my ‘pajamas’ no-gi in that tournament pretty quickly. I train with a lot of very talented and tough fighters daily who punch me in the face very hard. People say the same thing about me not getting punched – zoo, I have had four fights and they just haven’t had the chance to. Anyone who has trained with high-level fighters will tell you that gi jiu-jitsu only makes you more of a technical fighter. If he doesn’t believe that, that is fine – he will feel it on April 23rd.”
“Johnny did submit me when I first moved to Maine,” Costantino admitted. “Legit submission, and his pure grappling is definitely high level. My grappling is MMA based, not slow jitsu. It’s grimy, grueling and punishing. Pure grappling, I would worry about his game. But it’s a fight, sport jiu-jitsu means next to nothing to me.
“I wish I could say people will get to see my whole game, but I can’t guarantee that. Johnny will feel my power and look to go to his comfort zone. I will break him, you will see quit in his eyes.”
“After Taylor won in impressive fashion at NEF 21, he immediately screamed at me while still inside the cage that he wanted a black belt for his next challenge,” hais tias NEF co-tswv tsev thiab matchmaker Matt Peterson. “Zoo, he’s getting a brown belt in Johnny Crafts who, by all accounts, is due to receive his black belt any day, is a perfect 4-0 in the cage and is the current NEF amateur bantamweight champion. This fight is dripping with drama and will define a future top contender for the featherweight title in NEF’s stacked 145-pound division.”
Tshiab hais Fights 'tom ntej no cov kev tshwm sim, "NEF 22: TAG NRHO txoj kev ua tau NTAWM NO,"Yuav siv sij hawm qhov chaw Saturday, Plaub Hlis Ntuj 23, 2016 nyob rau Androscoggin txhab nyiaj Colisée nyob rau hauv Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF 22” start at just $25 thiab yog muag tam sim no nyob www.TheColisee.com los yog los ntawm hu rau Colisée chaw ua hauj lwm ntawm 207.783.2009 x 525. Yog xav paub ntxiv nyob rau hauv cov kev tshwm sim thiab kev sib ntaus card tshiab, thov mus saib cov qib lub website ntawm www.NewEnglandFights.com. Nyob rau hauv tas li ntawd, koj yuav saib NEF yeeb yaj duab ntawm www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, ua raws li lawv nyob rau Twitternefights thiab koom nrog cov nom Facebook pab pawg neeg "New England Fights."
Raug Monica, California. (Lub ob hlis ntuj 11, 2015) – A fifth and final main card fight has been added to “Bellator 150: Galvao vs.. Dantas 2” at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas on Lub ob hlis ntuj 26, with the news that Kendall Grove (22-15) has agreed to fight Francisco “Kiko” France (13-3-1).
Nyob rau hauv tas li ntawd, Bellator MMA’s Bantamweight Championship will be on the line in a rematch pitting Marcos "Loro" Galvao (17-6-1) tiv thaiv yav tas los yeej Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas (17-4) and hometown favorite, David Rickels (16-4, 1 NC) will return to action against Bobby Cooper (12-5). "Bellator 150: Galvao vs.. Dantas 2 " also features the Bellator MMA debut of newly signed women’s flyweight Lena Ovchynnikova (10-3), when she meets Rebecca Ruth (5-1) and a heavyweight co-main event of Cheick Kongo (23-10-2) tiv thaiv Vinicius Queiroz (8-3)
The contests make up the televised portion of “Bellator 150: Galvao vs.. Dantas 2,” uas airs nyob rau ntsia hlau loj ntawm 9 p.m. THIAB/8 p.m. I, thaum ua ntej bouts yuav kwj nyob rau Bellator.com thiab Lub Bellator Mobile App.
Daim pib rau "Bellator 150: Galvao vs.. Dantas 2 " uas pib ntawm cia li $27, are on sale now at KansasStarEventCenter.com or Ticketmaster.com, raws li tau zoo raws li lub Kansas Star Arena chaw ua hauj lwm.
Grove capped off 2015 with an emphatic knockout of Joey Beltran ntawm "Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis," nyob rau hauv lub Cuaj Hli Ntuj. The winner of “The Ultimate Fighter: 3," has fought professionally since 2003 for promotions all around the world, notably ProElite and UFC. This will be “Da Spyder’s” sixth appearance under the Bellator MMA banner as he hopes to climb back towards a 185-pound title shot – he competed for the gold last year against Brandon Halsey.
A veteran of Strikeforce, “Kiko” has strung together a five-fight winning streak as of late, most recently handing the formerly undefeated Ben Reiter the first loss of his young career at "Bellator 146: Kato vs. Manhoef. " It’s safe to classify the 33-year-old Arizona native as a “submission specialist,"Nrog 12 ntawm nws 13 wins as a professional coming by way of making his opponent tap.
Sau kom tiav "Bellator 150: Galvao vs.. Dantas 2” Fight Card:
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Title Main Event: Marcos Galvao (17-6-1) vs. Eduardo Dantas (17-4)
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Cheick Kongo (23-10-2) vs. Vinicius Queiroz (8-3)
Bellator MMA Hnav Feature Bout: Dave Rickels (16-4, 1 NC) vs. Bobby Cooper (12-5)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Feature Bout: Kendall Grove (22-15) vs. Francisco Fabkis (13-3-1)
Bellator MMA Flyweight Feature Bout: Lena Ovchynnikova (10-3) vs. Rebecca Ruth (5-1)
Preliminary Card:
Bellator MMA Middleweight Feature Bout: Gregory Babene (16-11) vs. Brandon Farran (12-10)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Gaston Reyno (5-0) vs. Chuka Willis (6-2)
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Feature Bout: David Hammons (1-1) vs. Kyle Noblitt (1-0)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Feature Bout: Chris Harris (4-0) vs. Julian Marquez (2-0)
Bellator MMA Hnav Feature Bout: Marcio Navarro (14-11) vs. Henry Lindsay (4-5)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Thai Clark (5-0) vs. Deron Carlis (4-1)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Feature Bout: Manny Meraz (7-1) vs. Andre Fialho (5-0)
Bellator MMA Hnav Feature Bout: Jason Witt (7-2) vs. Jonathan Gary (11-6)
SIRWAN KAKAI MAKES PROFESSIONAL DEBUT AGAINST JOE TAIMANGLO
Raug Monica, California. (Lub ob hlis ntuj 10, 2015) – The main card of "Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” rauLub peb hlis ntuj 4 is complete with today’s announcement that Gilbert Smith (12-4) will replace Michael Page and now face Fernando Gonzalez (24-13) in the evening’s co-main event.
Nyob rau hauv tas li ntawd, Sirwan Kakai (12-3) yuav ua kom nws debut promotional tiv thaiv Joe Taimanglo (21-6) in the fourth and final main card contest. Seven preliminary scraps have also been confirmed and can be found below.
Daim pib rau "Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” are on sale now and start at just $45. You can purchase tickets at the WinStar World Casino and Resort Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com. Qhov rooj rau cov kev tshwm sim qhib 5:00 p.m. I hauv zos lub sij hawm, with the first contest taking place one hour later.
"Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” airs nyob thiab dawb nyob rau ntawm cov ntsia hlau loj ntawm 9 p.m. THIAB/8 p.m. I, while preliminary boutswill stream live on Bellator.com thiab Lub Bellator Mobile App.
Smith will be making his Bellator MMA debut against a fighter who is currently in the midst of a four-fight winning streak. "Ib tag hmo Magic” is on a bit of a roll of his own, coming into the promotion riding a two-bout winning streak. A veteran of UFC and most recently RFA, Smith won the regional promotion’s welterweight belt in June, defending the title one time before signing with Bellator.
Gonzalez took a brief hiatus from MMA to compete in the kickboxing portion of the groundbreaking "Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1 " event in September, losing a tightly contest decision to world-renowned striker Paul "Semtex" Daley. Gonzalez now returns to his comfort zone of MMA, where he has strung together an impressive four-fight winning streak. A veteran of the Scott Coker-founded Strikeforce promotion, as well as World Extreme Cagefighting, Gonzalez has been competing professionally since 2003.
Kakai is one of Bellator MMA’s latest signings, joining the fray after a two-fight stint in the UFC. “Zohan," 26, hails from Sweden and owns 10 finishes in his 12 victories as a professional fighter. With a bantamweight title fight one-week prior and another marquee 135-pound pairing in the main event, it will be interesting to see what a win does for Kakai in the grand scheme of things.
Taimanglo will be making his seventh appearance under the Bellator MMA umbrella, and is riding a two-fight winning streak. A Guam-native, “The Juggernaut” has stopped his opponent in 21 of his victories and has only lost twice in his last 14 fights. Look for the 31-year-old to make an impression against the bantamweight division’s newest commodity.
Tshiab "Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” Fight Card:
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Main Event: Joe Warren (13-4) vs. Darrion Caldwell (8-0)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Co-Main Event: Gilbert Smith (12-4) vs. Fernando Gonzalez (24-13)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Yamauchi li (19-2) vs. Bubba Jenkins (10-2)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Feature Bout: Sirwan Kakai (12-3) vs. Joe Taimanglo (21-6-1)
Preliminary Card:
Bellator MMA Featherweight Yam ua ntej Bout: Chris Jones (10-3) vs. Ray Ntoo (5-1)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Yam ua ntej Bout: Steve Garcia (6-0) vs. Ricky Turcios (5-0)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Yam ua ntej Bout: Justin Patterson (6-1) vs. Chance Rencountre (8-1)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Yam ua ntej Bout: Treston Thomison (8-4) vs. Aaron Roberson (5-3)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Yam ua ntej Bout: Roger Carroll (16-13) vs. Neiman Gracie (3-0)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Yam ua ntej Bout: Derek Palmer (Debut) vs. Jermayne Barnes (0-1)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Yam ua ntej Bout: Shane Peterson (13-4) vs. Stephen Banaszak (5-5)
Lewiston, Maine (Lub ob hlis ntuj 7, 2016) - Tshiab England Fights (NEF), America lub xov tooj-ib regional sib ntaus qib, held its most recent event, “NEF 21: Lub Immortals” Saturday hmo nyob rau ntawm Androscoggin Bank Colisée nyob rau hauv Lewiston, Maine. The Colisée was a packed house for the promotion’s second hybrid mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing event. Fight fans were treated to a marathon evening of nonstop action featuring 26 bouts in total.
In the MMA main event of the evening, in what can only be described as a “thriller,” Bruce “Zoo nkauj tub” Boyington (13-8) defeated Jon Lemke (5-4) via split decision to retain the NEF MMA Professional Lightweight Title. Boyington and Lemke battled back-and-forth for five brutal rounds in what many in attendance were calling one of the best fights in NEF history.
In the boxing headliner, Northeast Junior Welterweight Champion Brandon “Lub Cannon” Berry (11-1) handed Tollison Lewis the first loss of his professional boxing career (2-1) with a second-round stoppage via technical knockout (LEEJ TWG).
On the amateur MMA portion of the card, three inaugural champions were crowned. Ryan Glover (3-1) took home the light heavyweight title after defeating Mike Williams (1-1), while Johnny Crafts (4-0) captured the bantamweight strap and Ricky Dexter (5-2) won the welterweight championship.
NEF also announced that its next event would take place on Plaub Hlis Ntuj 23, 2016, once again at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston.
Cov kev tshwm sim los ntawm Lewiston, Maine:
KEV COB QHA COV BOXING
Brandon Berry def. Tollison Lewis via TKO, puag ncig 2
Evincii Dixon def. Antonio Chaves Fernandez via unanimous decision
Crowsneck Boutin fought Joel Bishop to a unanimous draw
KEV COB QHA COV MMA
Bruce Boyington Def. Jon Lemke via split decision (Boyington retains lightweight title)
Josh Lange def. Derek Shorey via rear-naked choke, puag ncig 1
Zach Elkins def. Mike Hansen via guillotine, puag ncig 1
CJ Ewer def. Zenon Herrera via ankle lock submission, puag ncig 1
Alex Henry def. Andrew Tripp via KO, puag ncig 1
Brandon Warne def. Norman Fox via guillotine, puag ncig 1
Pib xyaum ua MMA
Ryan Glover def. Mike Williams via armbar, puag ncig 2 (Glover wins light heavyweight title)
Ricky Dexter def. Caleb Farrington via TKO, puag ncig 1 (Dexter wins welterweight title)
Johnny Crafts def. Henry Clark via TKO, puag ncig 3 (Crafts wins bantamweight title)
Rafael Velado def. Mike Peitersen via split decision
Erin Lamonte def. Randi Beth Boyington via rear-naked choke, puag ncig 1
Erik Nelson def. Julio Martinez via unanimous decision
Matt Glover def. Gravin Guillen via TKO, puag ncig 1
Taylor Costantino def. Frank Johanson via TKO, puag ncig 1
Brendan Battles def. Dave Smith via TKO, puag ncig 1
Ras Hylton def. Zak Bergeron via TKO, puag ncig 1
Adam Nielsen def. Ruben Redman via TKO, puag ncig 1
Dustin Shorey def. Juan Meneses via TKO, puag ncig 1
Tom Burgess def. Caleb Swoveland via unanimous decision
Chad Murillo def. Tony Agust via split decision
Jake Denham def. Justin Witham via verbal submission, puag ncig 2
Richmond Pierce Wiegman def. Clifford Redman ntawm TKO, puag ncig 2
Caleb Costello def. David Thompson via KO, puag ncig 1
Tshiab hais Fights 'tom ntej no cov kev tshwm sim, "NEF 22: TAG NRHO txoj kev ua tau NTAWM NO,” takes place Saturday, Plaub Hlis Ntuj 23, 2016 nyob rau Androscoggin txhab nyiaj Colisée nyob rau hauv Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF 22” start at just $25 thiab yog muag tam sim no nyob www.TheColisee.com los yog los ntawm hu rau Colisée chaw ua hauj lwm ntawm207.783.2009 x 525. Yog xav paub ntxiv nyob rau hauv cov kev tshwm sim thiab kev sib ntaus card tshiab, thov mus saib cov qib lub website ntawm www.NewEnglandFights.com. Nyob rau hauv tas li ntawd, koj yuav saib NEF yeeb yaj duab ntawm www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, ua raws li lawv nyob rau Twitternefights thiab koom nrog cov nom Facebook pab pawg neeg "New England Fights."
Raug Monica (Lub ob hlis ntuj 6, 2015) - Bellator MMA yog txaus siab ncha moo lub kos npe rau ntawm Chris “The Crippler” Leben (22-11) mus rau ib qho kom multi-xyoo, multi-sib ntaus daim ntawv cog lus. 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, California. and served as a coach at Victory MMA & Muaj zog. 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 thiab Josh Koscheck. The 35-year-old has fought elite talent throughout his mixed martial arts tenure, against names the likes of: Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, Brian Stann, Michael Bisping, Patrick Cote, Mark Muñoz, and Bellator MMA’s own Alessio Sakara.
“If I were to draw up the prototypical Bellator MMA competitor, there would be parts of Chris [Leben] in there,"Bellator MMA Thawj Tswj Hwm Scott Coker hais tias. “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. Kuv nyob rau hauv zoo zoo, 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: Benson Henderson, Anastasia Yankova, Lena Ovchynnikova, thiab Sergei 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.”
