In a surprising turn of events, former UFC middleweight headliner Chris Leben, affectionately known as “The Crippler,” is set to make his comeback to the UFC, but not as a fighter this time. Leben will be taking on the role of a cageside judge for the upcoming UFC Vegas 79 MMA event, which is scheduled to take place this Saturday night, September 23, 2023. The event will be broadcast on ESPN+ and will be hosted at the UFC APEX facility located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chris Leben hung up his gloves and retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) back in early 2014 following a tough loss to Uriah Hall at UFC 168. Since then, Leben has been exploring various facets of the fight game, including coaching and training, but this marks a unique return to the UFC.
When asked about the transition from being a fighter to a judge, Leben explained, “Scoring a fight, versus watching it for fun, versus watching it as a coach, those are three completely different things. If I’m coaching a fighter, I’m watching to see what’s working and what’s not working. If I’m watching a fight for fun, I see an exchange, and I go, ‘Whoa that’s awesome.’ If I’m judging, there’s no emotion. It’s check marks — he’s doing this, he’s doing that.”
Leben, who is now 43 years old, has undergone rigorous training and is a certified referee from Herb Dean’s certification course. He brings a wealth of experience to the role, having served as both a judge and referee with the California State Athletic Commission. This weekend’s event in Nevada will mark the debut of “The Crippler” as a judge in the state.
Explaining the challenges of being a judge, Leben stated, “Some of it is subjective in a lot of ways. One judge might say it’s a 10-9 round, and another judge might say it’s a 10-8 round. You’re supposed to know the difference between almost a 10-8 and a 10-8, and that stuff can be relatively difficult with time and duration to make sure all those criteria are followed properly. I always want to affect the outcome in the correct way. Having been a fighter, I feel like there’s no job more important than getting in there and representing those guys properly.”
With Leben’s unique perspective as a former fighter and his newfound role as a judge, his presence at UFC Vegas 79 adds an interesting dimension to the event, and fans are eager to see how “The Crippler” fares in his new role.
