Chris Leben Vs. Aaron Simpson Set For UFC 114

After pulling off a hard fought decision victory over Tom Lawlor at UFC Fight Night 20 last month, Aaron Simpson will return to action at UFC 114 . According to the Ground and Pound radio show, Simpson will fight the heavy-handed "Crippler" Chris Leben in Las Vegas, NV on May 29.

Leben became a household name among fight fans with his stint on the inagural season of The Ultimate Fighter. "The Crippler" has gone 9-5 since the show and is recently coming off of a decision victory over hard-hitting slugger Jay Silva at UFN 20 in January. Prior to that win, Leben was extremely close to being cut from the UFC's roster.

After losing a decision to Michael Bisping in England at UFC 89 in October 2008, Leben tested positive for steroids. Over a year later Leben was choked out in his Octagon return at UFC 102 against wrestling stud Jake Rosholt . The very same Rosholt who struggled to transition his success in collegiate wrestling into the Octagon and was eventually released by the UFC following a loss to Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall Grove .

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Leben is struggling for relevancy within the UFC's 185-lb weight class. A win over a top prospect in Simpson would be just the thing to get "The Crippler" back on the right track on his quest for UFC gold.

Simpson, an All-American wrestler out of Arizona State and former wrestling coach for the ASU Sun Devils has compiled seven straight wins since making his professional MMA debut in 2007. "A-Train" boasts UFC wins over Tim McKenzie , Ed Herman and the aforementioned Lawlor.

Despite not being anywhere near title contention, Leben is still a cult favorite among fans so therefore defeating him would elevate Simpson's status in the middleweight division, and set him up for fights against top tier opponents.

UFC 114 will take place May 29, at the Mandalay Bay Events center in Las Vegas, NV. A long anticipated grudge match between former light-heavyweight champions Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans will serve as the headliner.

This article was originally featured on fiveknuckles.com.