Chris Leben suspended for one year after failing post UFC 138 drug test

I dont understand why fighters take drugs they must know they are going to get caught . maybe some of them get away with it i dont see how but that woould be the only explanation why they would take them. I take alot of pain meds and ya dont even get a high from the pills maybe they shoot them with a needle i get more high with a beer or four......

Just asking myself the same thing. If you know you are going to get caught why do they use drugs?



-If you take this you will perform better and you have the very high chance to get caught, be suspended for a year, lose some fans and losing your reputation and credibility!

-Perfect! My goal is to perform better!!!



I don't know what happening in some fighter's head but it's hard to figure out :P

addiction to pills is not easy, have you ever tried stopping your meds cold turkey?

mannnn Chris has done this before so a year isnt much should be more

sucks any how whole defence is his face and is getting to old losing that strength but I dont plan to be a fan now twice is crazy

No doubt! Its not like him taking these pills are enhancing his workout

umm are these performance enhancing drugs?

Some may say they are performance enhancing particularly if you can mask the pain of injuries during a fight through morphine based drugs. If your body is desensitised to pain then that can be an advanatge fighting. However oxycodone is not a performance enhancing drug....If anything it will slow you down. It is not going to give you increased strength, speed or agility. It may make you go in more relaxed and with less nagging injuries.

F#$%^&*( you Chris!!!!!!!I mean it this time! I've been supporting you since day 1! how dare you pull this shit again when you were doing well prior to your last fight? for crying out loud,can't believe this,Im so annoyed!!!!!! I'll still support you and wish you a full recovery,can't wait to see you in action again,I love to see you fight!!!!

You need to relax; he's not your son or brother (not even your friend) so chill out and give him a break. Good people sometimes make bad decisions.



At least he's acting like a man. You might want to take his lead in that regard 'cause you sound like a petulant child.

Damn it!

Chris Leben = Dumb ass...

Im truly amazed !



Chris Lebel is a workhorse in the octagon, a true entertainer.However, Chris has teammates, trainers, dieticians, managers, sponsors all around him and he knows that there is mandatory drug testing.



This is as crazy as being told there is alcohol road test ahead and then you go and drive down the road drunk and get charged.



I guess Chris thought it would be out of his system before the fight.

I think with Chris his body is broken and sore from all the fights he has had. There must be so many niggling injuries that got him started on this stuff. The documentary on Mark Kerr was an example of how drugs can take over your life as a fighter if you are not careful

I hope this year off will give Chris a chance to get his life together.

Damn Britney was hot

Tough beat man, addiction is abiatch. Hang inthere Chriss. you always put on exciting fights and will always be a fan favorite

I trained thirty hours per week for around two and a half years. Constant pain, inability to relax or sleep more than four hours...



I think people underestimate the emotional, mental and physical stress which a fighter must endure to perform.



I ask myself, what has to be true for Chris to take a drug which helps him relax. Poor personal balance seems to be an outcome for most people in a demanding, sole focus profession.



Personally, I can't blame Chris for having a dependency issue. I hope he finds the recovery he requires to live and enjoy his life.

Nice to see some sense in the post, things are not always that easy, I dont blame Chris either this is not PED's this is becoming dependent on pills that a doctor turned you on to.

True. But, a man has to be accountable for his own actions. After all, it is that man who controls his destiny.

@ Fightlife



From a normal pyschological standpoint you would be completely right. When the human brain becomes addicted the way it work changes, general psychologicaal rules don't fit.



Unless an addict receives treatment, they dont have control over their own destiny.



Ps, How much destiny do you believe you have control over?



Cheers

I think if fighters are having trouble with the fighting life then they should give it up. If they have to use something that warps them in some way to be competitive then they are either not in the right sport or need to just man up and do it the old fashioned way. People can have many excuses and some seem to pull the heartstrings but you either can or can't in my opinion. Loads of people want to be Jet Pilots in the airforce flying the best like myself but I have a problem and that is Ireland has no jets for me and I don't have the schooling to be accepted anyway. Life is as is and I still find plenty to be happy about if I take the time to realize it and move on. I am all for forgiving this mistake of Leben but at this point it doesn't really feel like a mistake anymore considering the recent amount of cases. I wouldn't mind if there was an unlimited class for fighters that want to see if they can out advantage their opponents with what ever they want but I want to also have a clean class and so the punishments need to happen. The problem with guys like Chris and Chael and others is that they need these things to compete with guys like Anderson and GSP. I look at it that if you can't beat Anderson or GSP within the rules than you simply can't beat them.

@ Falcon,



The drugs he was using were not performance enhancing. If you really wanted to be a jet pilot and you didn't go find a country which would let you fulfill your ambition, then I suggest that it was a wonderful dream, but not something you really wanted to do.



Lack of resources is not an excuse. And if you argue it is, then you justify Chris Leben using drugs to help him relax. Because essentially he didn't find the right resources to meet his personal and emotional needs.



The difference being, despite his limitations, he is doing what he wants and has the respect of many people, and rightly needs to re-earn or accept the loss of respect from others.



Doesn't that make sense?

First of all I never said they were performance enhancing. I don't want to fight and fly for another country so this is why I can't do what I want and I am in the process of getting my pilots license since I can't fly an F-16 I will still fly. It's a compromise. If I went to the USA anyway and waited to become a citizen and then tried out I still would not be able to do it as I don't have math skills and I have tried to update my math but it's just something I am not great at. Many people try their best to do things like be an astronaut, start up a business dream, etc, etc and fail not because they don't want it but simply can't. Some people look at life in that anyone can do anything they want if they really want to. Although it is a feel good slogan it isn't the truth. A man with no legs is not going to be the worlds fastest 100m olympian runner no matter how much he wants to be but it doesn't mean he can't have a good life. It all comes down to attitude. I know a personal friend who wanted to be a computer programmer to make games and stuff but he had an incident with acid that was basically the 3rd time he used it in his life and he fried his brain. He still wanted to do that as a career but he no longer could control himself to concentrate and now has to settle with very simple jobs as he is really messed up. He is often frustrated but he finds ways to keep himself happy. You see being a jet pilot is what I wanted more than anything and still do but I want it in my home country. Lack of resources for certain is an excuse for attaining your goals. Say you were thrown in prison for believing in something a powerful leader would not allow and never released, how do you become a pilot then? There are always people who do and don't fulfill their dreams and it is nieve to think if they don't it is only because they never tried hard enough. Many people wanted to start families after the war and as hard as they tried to live they died. The difference between me and Chris Leben is that I don't want to be champ if I have to cheat or break the rules to be it. Sometimes even morals hold you back because there may be no place for your goal within them. Hitler wanted world domination... what happened there.

You see if Chris just wanted to fight he could do that anywhere but he wants the whole package like, money, fame, and be champ. I am the same in that I want F-16, Ireland and money. But I can't have it and it seems Chris can't either without out of the rules help. Do you think all champs are just people who wanted it more? You don't think some are just more able? It's a nice fairy tale to state you can be whatever you want but it's not the truth. I will still be a pilot but unless my government buys F16's I won't get my dream of F16 in Ireland.

Too bad this had to happen! I was really looking forward to the rematch with wandy. I really respect this guy, just gotta stop making bad mistakes like this one. Best regards sir.

He`s not using them to get an edge on his opponent.

He has become addicted to opiates more than likely, i hope he gets the proper care and advice he requires to beat this horrible addiction. Be strong Chris.

If I took the shots Leben has taken, i'd stay pilled up too.

For the record, those are opiates. Pain killers. Performance un- enhancement, unless they help you work through an injury. But don't do the crime if you can't do the time.



"The Crippler" has had to walk a hard road. And in all honesty, after his last loss, I think it was hard to imagine him getting his Ricky Balboa moment. Before a one year suspension.



But this isn't the end of Chris Leben. He always would have had something to teach others. Now, in a sad way, maybe a bit more.