Uriah Hall defeats Chris Leben, who quits on stool
In perhaps his last chance in the UFC octagon, Chris Leben left on his own terms, quitting on his stool after the first round of his UFC 168 matchup with Uriah Hall. Leben then walked out of the octagon before the official decision was read, and waved to the fans in a way that could indicate he would retire.
Hall was in control throughout, using his speed and reach advantage to keep Leben swinging at air. Hall rocked Leben with his first strike of the match, a leaping knee, and then at the 10-second horn, knocked Leben down with a straight right hand before swarming with strikes.
He couldn’t finish but when Leben (22-11) went back to his stool with his face bloodied, he decided that he’d had enough. The official result is a first-round TKO for Hall.
“He’s a warrior,” Hall said of his opponent. “I knew he was going to come at me full force. I decided to use my feet. You don’t want to get hit by that guy.”
If it is the end of the line for Leben in the UFC, he finishes with a 12-10 record in 22 fights. The loss to Hall was his fourth straight, following defeats to Mark Munoz, Derek Brunson and Andrew Craig.
The fight was equally as important for Hall, who entered the UFC amidst serious fanfare after a brilliant run on season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter. However, he had lost his first two official bouts, and the win against Leben marked the first official one of his UFC run. He’s now 8-4.
Still, Hall apologized for his manner of victory, saying, “I was trying to end the year with a bang.”
