UFC 138 Fight Card: Could Chris Leben Be the Future Middleweight Champion?

It was November 9, 2002 when Chris "The Crippler" Leben stepped inside the octagon for the very first time.

Leben squared off with Bryce Hamilton as his mixed martial arts career was underway.

And, it was a quick MMA debut for Leben as he had Hamilton in an unwanted position just midway through the very first round.

At 2:45, Leben connected on a Guillotine Choke that allowed him to capture the first win of his professional career.

Leben went on to win nine of his next 10 fights before making his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"The Crippler" Leben was successful as he knocked out Jason Thacker in the first round.

Following the first win of his UFC career, Leben went on to win four consecutive fights en route to a bout with Anderson Silva at a Fight Night in June of 2006.

This time it was Silva who was making his UFC debut as he dismantled Leben not even in a minute into Round 1. 

Many fans across the globe felt that Leben never fully recovered as he went on to lose four of his next seven fights.

However, things turned around for Leben in 2010 as he posted a perfect 3-0 record by defeating Jay Silva, Aaron Simpson, and Yoshihiro Akiyama.

Following a loss to Brian Stann at UFC 125, Leben went on to capture the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career by knocking out Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132.

Leben is now set to take on Mark Munoz at UFC 138 in Birmingham, England.

With a win, "The Crippler" will have won five of his last six fights and inching closer to his much desired middleweight title shot.

While a win doesn't necessarily earn Leben a title shot, it would certainly help his case moving forward into 2012.

A win at UFC 138 would leave fans with one question...

Could Chris Leben be the future UFC Middleweight champion?