This Week’s MMA Birthdays: Chris Leben Turns 33

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He was World Extreme Cagefighting’s first middleweight champion, and Chris Leben will celebrate his 33rd birthday on July 21.

Known for a sturdy chin and a powerful left hook, Leben launched his Ultimate Fighting Championship career on Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. The 32-year-old Portland, Ore., native has appeared in more UFC bouts (21) than any other middleweight in history, capturing five post-fight bonuses in the process: three for “Knockout of the Night” and two more for “Fight of the Night.”

Leben has had his issues inside and outside the cage. He was suspended in 2008 after testing positive for anabolic steroids and again in 2011, when he was flagged for prescription painkillers. Tough, determined and resilient, Leben was named Sherdog.com’s “Comeback Fighter of the Year” for 2010, as he posted a 3-0 record, with wins over Jay Silva, Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama.

Now anchored at Alliance MMA in San Diego, Leben finds himself on a three-fight losing streak for the first time in his career. “The Crippler” last fought at UFC 162 on July 6, when he dropped a split decision to former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder Andrew Craig at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Those in MMA celebrating a birthday the week covering July 21-July 27:

JULY 21

Chris Leben (33)
Yushin Okami (32)

JULY 22

Carlos Barreto (45)
Mark Hominick (31)
Rory MacDonald (24)

JULY 23

Georgy Kaysinov (42)
Akira Kikuchi (35)
Sergio Moraes (31)
LeVon Maynard (30)
Guram Gugenishvili (27)
Marcus Vanttinen (26)

JULY 24

Jason DeLucia (44)
Takahiro Kajita (37)
Mike Lullo (34)
Tim Carpenter (33)
Julian Lane (26)

JULY 25

Tiequan Zhang (35)

JULY 26

Yukio Sakaguchi (40)

JULY 27

Drew McFedries (35)
Daniel Straus (29)
Julia Borisova (28)
Jessica Eye (27)

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