Leben unretires, signs with Bellator
Scott Coker on signing Chris Leben: “He’s got some physicals to pass, but pending his passing of all his physicals, he will be a Bellator fighter.”
Bellator MMA signed Benson Henderson this week, and veteran heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov, and now has signed Chris Leben. The announcement was made by president Scott Coker on AXS TV’s Inside MMA.
He’s got some physicals to pass, but pending his passing of all his physicals, he will be a Bellator fighter. … From the very beginning, we made a public statement – we’ve been transparent about this – that we’re looking for the best free agents that make the most sense for our roster. There are free agents out there. Some we will go after, some we won’t. … We have a great roster in place. We’re building fighters from the ground up. … And when the free agents we want are available, we’ll go after them, as well. So we’re going to build this roster from the bottom up, and from the top down.”
Leben, who has not fought since 2013, was an exciting but troubled figure. He won six performance bonus awards in the UFC, but also tested positive twice of banned substances. His struggles with drug and alcohol addiction were chronicled openly in his autobiography, The Crippler. Leben retired on a four fight losing streak, after a first round TKO loss to Uriah Hall at UFC 168.
“Having been with the UFC for so long, if I’m not fighting in the UFC, I’m not fighting,” he said at the time. “Also, I’m not afraid to admit, we all have our time in the light. And it’s my time to move on to different endeavors.
Still, at 35, with the proper motivation, Leben could be a force.
“They’re all great signings,” said Rutten. “Chris deserves it. I’m going to root for him. Rutten, actually, that he’s going to do well.”
Let’s all Rutten for Leben.