Biography Chris Leben was born July 21st, 1980 in Portland Oregon. Chris was raised in Portland with his younger sister and older brother. Growing up Chris always preferred alternative sports such as skateboarding, dirt biking, and snowboarding. It wasn’t until middle school that Chris would dive into the arena of combat sports.
Chris watched his first Ultimate Fighting Championship in middle school. Chris had never been in one street fight but was instantly fascinated by the spectacle and decided to take up boxing classes. The classes were clear across town from where he lived. Regardless of the distance Chris enrolled anyways and began catching the bus everyday after school to the boxing center. He trained consistently and began getting pretty good with technique. He never competed in boxing but enjoyed learning each and everyday.
In high school Chris joined the wrestling team late in his freshman year. Chris picked up wrestling rather quickly and wrestled into his Junior and Senor year. Wrestling helped Chris develop some other skills, which he could not receive in boxing. These skills helped Chris form a base and would be the skills that would be the starting point of his great fighting career.
Shortly after high school while visiting his brother at work, Chris stumbled upon a gym located just across the street. This particular gym happened to be the world famous Team Quest. After a brief conversation with team trainer Robert Follis, Chris was ready to join. He signed on and before long he was training with the competition team with the likes of Randy Couture, Matt Lindland, Nate Quarry, and Ed Herman. With such a great team around him Chris soon refined his skills and began fighting as an amateur. Chris’s amateur career started just how it ended, with a win. He went 5-0 as an amateur and captured the FCFF and UFCF middleweight titles.
Undefeated as an amateur Chris decided to turn pro and test the waters. He wasted no time and won his first five fights, three of which came via knockout. Chris went on a rampage and captured the Gladiator Challenge, Sportfight, and WEC middleweight titles. He has amassed a nearly flawless professional record and has beaten names such as Benji Radach, Mike Swick, and Patrick Cote. His only loss came by way of a tough decision to seasoned veteran Joe Doerkson.
Chris was a featured contestant on the first Spike reality series, The Ultimate Fighter. He showed the world all sides of his personality and quickly became a fan favorite. Chris did not win the competition but went on to fight in The Ultimate Fight Night Finals were he quickly dismantled his opponent with vicious offense. Chris is still competing in the UFC and is a top ranked middleweight contender.
Currently Chris is living in Seattle with his wonderful girlfriend June. He is training at AMC under the great Matt Hume. Aside from fighting and training Chris spends his days skateboarding, dirt biking, and hanging out with friends. Chris teaches private lessons on the side and someday aspires to open up his own gym where he can train and teach students fulltime.
Chris shows what proper training and Supplements can do!
Stats
Height: 5'11
Weight: 185 lbs
Age: 24
Team: Team Quest
Trainer: Robert Follis
Hometown: Portland, OR
Result - Opponent - Method - Event - Date
Win Jason Thacker TKO UFC Ultimate Fighter Finale 04/09/05
Win Benji Radach TKO (Injury) Sportfight4 06/26/04
Loss Joe Doerkson Decision FFC 9 05/14/04
Win Justin Davis KO Sportfight 3 04/17/04
Win Boyd Ballard KO UFCF-Night of Champions2 01/31/04
Win Mike Swick KO WEC 9 01/16/04
Win James Fanshier Decision Gladiator Challenge20 11/13/03
Win Brian Sleeman Submission WEC 8 10/17/03
Win Boyd Ballard Submission UFCF-Night of Champions 10/11/03
Win Landon Showalter Decision QP-Second Coming 08/23/03
Win Otto Olson KO UFCF-Battle in Seattle 07/26/03
Win John Hall TKO FCFF 6 03/08/03
Win Ben Birtcher TKO FCFF 5 12/14/02
Win Bryce Hamilton Submission UFCF-Fall Brawl 11/03/02
Win Justin Terherst Submission FCFF 4 08/10/02
Win Pat Healey Decision Rumble at the Roseland |
