Former UFC Fighter Chris Leben Sentenced to 120 Days in Jail After Guilty Plea
Former UFC middleweight and veteran of The Ultimate Fighter season 1 Chris Leben has been sentenced to 120 days in jail. The news was first reported by MMAWeekly.com.
The sentence was handed down for charges stemming from reported incidents in June involving Leben and his ex-wife, Kaleena Leben. Leben allegedly attempted to break into his estranged wife's apartment on June 8, banging on the door before trying to scale the building's balconies, per NBC San Diego. Afterward, an M16 assault rifle was discovered in the building.
These events resulted in a slew of charges, "including felony possession of an assault weapon and 11 counts of violating a court order," per MMAWeekly.com. While he initially denied the allegations and claimed to have been a victim of Kaleena's abuse, he would plead guilty to three charges on August 4, per NBC San Diego (h/t MMAFighting.com).
Leben became a fan favorite following a tumultuous run on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter. That exposure led to a 22-fight UFC career, which included 12 wins over the likes of Patrick Cote, Wanderlei Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama. He retired from MMA in 2013 following a four-fight losing skid.
While The Crippler had a largely successful MMA career, he often found himself struggling outside the cage. Leben was twice arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, and twice failed drug tests during his fighting career (once for Stanozolol and once for banned painkillers).
In addition to the 120 days in jail, Leben also faces three years of probation. According to MMAWeekly.com, he will report to jail on September 21, where he will stay for 30 days. From there, he will serve another 30 days on work furlough (which allows him to leave jail during the day to work, while returning at night), and will then be eligible for probation based on good behavior.
