After losing to Uriah Hall at UFC 168 on Dec. 28, 2013, via technical knockout in round one, it didn't take long for Chris Leben to announce his retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA). It was a decision he made after suffering a four-fight losing streak under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner.
An interesting note about the skid is that all of his losses came after he decided to get clean and sober, ridding himself of all the alcohol and drugs that troubled the talented middleweight.
Frank Trigg -- the man who brought up the interesting statistic during a recent interview with Leben (via MMA Odds Breaker) -- asked "The Crippler" the rather odd question if he regretted getting sober, seeing as how it meant him losing four fights in a row.
Obviously, Leben said he had no regrets for leaving his bad habits, because it made him a better person outside of the Octagon. Whether or not his addiction actually played a factor into winning or losing, is another story.
Furthermore, Chris revealed that all of the money he was making while fighting was spent on illegal drugs.
"It really is better now. The bottom line is, especially with all the illegal drugs, I was spending all the money I was making anyways. Six in one, half dozen in the other. I used to fight the way I fought, I didn't give a shit. ‘Fuck this, I could die tomorrow, let's go out there and I'm gonna fucking kill this guy!' That fire, I'd be lying if I said that fire was still in me these past couple fights. It hasn't been. I hate to admit it, but shit's going okay at home. My life's alright. I'm a lot more of a mellow guy. Just getting older, I guess. I don't even know. I don't know how to explain it."
It's not exactly the storybook ending to a fight career, but "The Crippler" is happy with his decision to walk away from the sport on his terms.
The red-haired brawler's battle with drugs is well documented, as he was suspended on two separate occasions for banned substances after his bouts against Michael Bisping at UFC 89 and Mark Munoz at UFC 138.
Addiction, however, seemed to have affected "The Crippler's" personal life more than his MMA career.
Turning over a new leaf, Leben is now clean and sober and even though he will no longer be fighting professionally, he will help the new crop of fighters as the MMA Director at Victory Gym in San Diego, California.
Any of you Maniacs surprised by this revelation?