Chris Leben

Cast

Born

July 21, 1980 · Portland, Oregon, USA

Birth name

Christian Cyrus Leben

Christian Cyrus Leben was raised in Portland, Oregon, United States. His older brother introduced him to the famous Team Quest gym when he was in his teens and Leben began training mixed martial arts along side international superstar fighters Randy Couture and Matt Lindland. After six straight wins, no losses and a World Extreme Cagefighting championship title, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)-which is the biggest, most exciting MMA fighting organization in the world-took an active interest in Leben's potential. In 2005, Leben was one of the 16 original cast members of the hit TV show "The Ultimate Fighter," produced by the UFC. The show was the crucial turning point for the fighting organization, taking the company from the brink of economic default to a successful multi-billion dollar industry. To this today, UFC President Dana White credits the TV show for the success of UFC. Over the years, Leben has been able to capitalize on his popularity as both a fighter and personality within the UFC and continues to be a prominent fixture on main cards that are televised to an average of 3 million viewers for each event in over 149 different countries. Chris spends his time in San Diego, California where he trains and teaches at Victory MMA. During the off season, Chris travels around the world holding seminars and has become an international fan favorite-an accomplishment for any athlete, but also one that provides a reliable name brand recognition in a sport that continues to grow in popularity. Due to his astonishing record and reputation as a crowd-pleaser, Chris attracts heavy digital traffic throughout mainstream press coverage of Mixed Martial Arts, including Yahoo Sports, USA Today, and ESPN.