After being diagnosed with a severe heart condition and forced into early retirement, UFC fighter Chris "The Crippler" Leben returned to the ring to battle Phil Baroni in the World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation's first championship match on November 9. Fighting in the light heavyweight division, Leben defeated Baroni by first-round TKO. Leben's reputation as both a brawler and a Dionysian-level partier started on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, and was maintained during his ten year career in the UFC. Fighter: The Chris Leben Story follows Leben as he makes his return to the ring to fight Baroni after a two year hiatus from fighting. In this three part … [Read more...]
Mentor-Protégé: Lineage and Loyalty in the Fight Game
How We All Met Standing 6 feet tall and weighing almost 100 kg, Sensei Abdullah Mohammad Hossain is stronger than the average person in Bangladesh. I met him in the summer of 2014 through Sawasdee Kamal Chowdhury (Dee) who hooked us up and invited me to explore the idea of designing and promoting a BJJ curriculum for Abdullah’s dojo, Knock Out Fight Studio (KOFS). It was during my encounter with Abdullah that I met Andy (not his real name). Andy was Abdullah’s protégé who was in his mid 20s and a fight enthusiast. Andy loved the idea of being a martial artist. The Mentor Abdullah is one of the owners, co-founder … [Read more...]