Dana White: Uriah Hall will be ‘leaving town’ if he doesn't beat Chris Leben at UFC 168

Could Uriah Hall's once-promising Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career be over before it ever picks up any steam?

According to UFC President Dana White, it will be if he doesn't pick up a win ... and fast.

The head honcho told reporters during a recent media scrum that should "Primetime" lose to Chris Leben at UFC 168 on Dec 28, 2013 -- which would mark his third straight loss -- then the Jamaican-born fighter can pack his bags and "leave town."

The comment was made when White was asked if the Mauricio Rua vs. James Te Huna bout at UFC Fight Night 33 on Dec. 7, 2013 would be a "loser leaves town" fight, to which he said he doesn't like to give upcoming contests that label, unless people are talking about Uriah Hall, a "super nice guy," whom Dana recently said doesn't have the mentality to be a fighter.

White vents:

"No, I don't ever think of matches as the loser leaves town, unless you're talking about Uriah Hall's next fight. Uriah Hall needs to win a fight or Uriah Hall will be leaving town."

Somewhere, "Shogun" and Te Huna are breathing a sigh of relief.

White also stopped short of saying Frank Mir could be close to packing his bags should he come up empty against Alistair Overeem at UFC 167, but admitted the former two-time heavyweight champ's career could be winding down.

Hall, meanwhile, hasn't quite lived up to expectations since making his official Octagon debut at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 Finale earlier this year, losing to Kelvin Gastelum via split decision after running roughshod over the competition on the combat sports reality show.

In his sophomore effort, Hall suffered another split decision loss, this time to John Howard at UFC Fight Night 26.

Uriah's performances inside the TUF house -- like this one and this one -- prompted his head coach, Chael Sonnen, to say he wouldn't be far from competing against against then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

How the mighty have fallen.

It won't get easier for Uriah as he faces a longtime UFC veteran who possesses some of the heaviest hands in the 185-pound division in "The Crippler." A fighter who is also hungry for a win after dropping his last three inside the eight-walled cage.

Anyone think Hall can right his ship? Or will he be forced to look for another mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion to call home at the beginning of 2014?