Chris Leben doesn’t see Mark Munoz wanting to stand with him

When you’re a Mixed Martial Artist with a reputation for slugging it out until you or your opponent falls, you’re bound to run into adversaries interested in testing their own striking and chin against your own.

As such, Chris Leben is used to his foes engaging him in such a way only to fall short in the end (and occasionally face-first at that). This weekend “The Crippler” will find himself in a similar situation against decorated collegiate wrestler Mark Munoz who has knockout power of his own and hasn’t shied away from the notion of enlisting it against Leben at UFC 138.

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Leben spoke some about the bout with Munoz as well as his profession in general in a video from the UFC promoting Saturday’s card and, to hear the 31-year old tell it, he’ll be surprised if Munoz has anything to truly offer him while standing.

“I throw devastating punches! Everybody says they want to stand and bang with me, everyone says they will stand and bang with me. But if Wanderlei Silva can’t do it Mark Munoz definitely can’t do it,” Leben exclaimed while referencing his 27-second destruction of Silva in July at UFC 132.

An original Ultimate Fighter alumnus, Leben credited the energy he gets from the crowd with his style of scrapping, saying, “When I’m on deck to walk out to the Octagon, that is one of the most extreme moments of my life. Your heart is racing. You can hear 20,000 people just cheering, and yelling, and screaming your name. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.”

“I feel like a gladiator walking into the Roman Coliseum,” he continued. “When I go out there I know it’s time…it’s time for me to go to battle. I’m prepared to put it all on the line to bring those fans exactly what they want to see and that’s ‘The Crippler’ smash somebody.”

Interested parties can see Leben attempt just that for free on Spike TV starting at 8:00 PM EST with other bouts on the British lineup including Renan “Barao” vs. Brad Pickett and Thiago Alves vs. Papy Abedi.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC