Chris "The Crippler" Leben was born in Portland Oregon and has quickly 
become one of the fastest rising and most recognizable stars in the UFC's
Middleweight division with exciting victories over Jorge Santiago, Jorge
Riviera, and Patrick Cote. He began his career in martial arts at the young  age of 8, when he started training in Karate and Wrestling before moving on
to Boxing. After winning several awards for his wrestling prowess in high 
school, his transition to Mixed Martial Arts began at Team Quest in Portland 
in 2001 where he quickly gained recognition as an exciting and explosive up 
and coming fighter. Chris dominated the local competition, going 7-0 and 
winning the FCFF, the UFCF, and the SportFight Amatuer titles before turning
professional and winning titles in the WEC, Gladiator Challenge, and 
SportFight Pro. His exciting UFC career began with his appearance on the 
premier season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series on Spike TV in 2004. 
Outside the ring, Chris has spent several years coaching MMA, BJJ, and 
Kickboxing and holds both the ACE and APEX certifications for Personal 
Training as well. Chris has coached dozens of fighters including several of 
today's top pros using his unique combination of in the cage experience and 
motivational coaching style. He now resides in Hawaii and is coaching and  training out of ICON Sport, where he is available for private lessons and 
group classes