Clark Kent
<B>News Bot</B>
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01-11-2010 09:54 PM:
Chris Leben has plenty of experience and he's shown a pretty well-rounded game at times but he's always had a penchant to slug away standing. Leben clearly had a gameplan and it involved not playing into Jay Silva's only strength, his stand-up game. Leben scored takedowns in all three rounds and rolled to a unanimous decision win, 30-27 on all three cards, to snap a two-fight losing streak.
"Everytime I go out there I look for the knockout but the strategy was working so well and I needed this win so badly that I decided to stay with the ground game."
Leben worked for a rear-naked choke for four-plus into the first round after quickly converting a takedown to the mount. Silva did a nice job of holding out. In the final two rounds, Silva simply wasn't active enough to stay out of Leben's clinch-game.
Silva was a great story on paper. A bouncer until 2007, he began training jiu-jitsu in the New York area and then befriended former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson, who moved him out to California in 2008. Silva was fabulous in a debut loss to C.B. Dollaway but his takedown defense was weak in that fight. It really showed tonight against Leben, not exactly a guy who's known as a top level grappler.
Leben (18-6, 8-5 UFC) needed this win. He's fought personal issues and alcohol issues for years. He wad coming off terrible losses against Michael Bisping and Jake Rosholt. He tested positive after the Bisping fight and served a one-year suspension. The Rosholt fight was in his hometown, Portland at UFC 102, and he was put to sleep via arm-triangle choke.
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
"Everytime I go out there I look for the knockout but the strategy was working so well and I needed this win so badly that I decided to stay with the ground game."
Leben worked for a rear-naked choke for four-plus into the first round after quickly converting a takedown to the mount. Silva did a nice job of holding out. In the final two rounds, Silva simply wasn't active enough to stay out of Leben's clinch-game.
Silva was a great story on paper. A bouncer until 2007, he began training jiu-jitsu in the New York area and then befriended former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson, who moved him out to California in 2008. Silva was fabulous in a debut loss to C.B. Dollaway but his takedown defense was weak in that fight. It really showed tonight against Leben, not exactly a guy who's known as a top level grappler.
Leben (18-6, 8-5 UFC) needed this win. He's fought personal issues and alcohol issues for years. He wad coming off terrible losses against Michael Bisping and Jake Rosholt. He tested positive after the Bisping fight and served a one-year suspension. The Rosholt fight was in his hometown, Portland at UFC 102, and he was put to sleep via arm-triangle choke.
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
