{"id":188807,"date":"2016-03-08T16:01:37","date_gmt":"2016-03-09T00:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=188807"},"modified":"2016-03-08T16:01:37","modified_gmt":"2016-03-09T00:01:37","slug":"a-severe-heart-condition-has-cancelled-chris-lebens-mma-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/chris-leben\/a-severe-heart-condition-has-cancelled-chris-lebens-mma-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"A severe heart condition has cancelled Chris Leben’s MMA comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mixed martial arts veteran Chris Leben (22-11 MMA) was planning on coming out of retirement to fight for the Bellator MMA promotion.<\/p>\n

Sadly that is no longer the case, as MMAJunkie<\/a> is reporting that “The Crippler” has been diagnosed with a severe medical condition that has left Chris with just 18 percent of normal blood flow to his heart.<\/p>\n

Leben had signed with Bellator last month and was undergoing a physical for fight-clearance when he failed several EKG (electrocardiogram) tests.<\/p>\n

According to the report, doctors discovered a \u201clife-threatening abnormality\u201d to Chris’ left ventricle, which was \u201coversized,\u201d \u201cmisshapen,\u201d and \u201cnot operating properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement included the following information:<\/p>\n

A combination of life-saving drugs was immediately prescribed to Leben in hopes of preventing \u201ca catastrophic cardiac event.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAs of now, the prognosis is mixed: one doctor believes that he should be considered for a heart transplant, while another doctor hopes that medication and a healthy lifestyle will reverse some of the damage over time.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0–<\/p>\n

Leben\u2019s condition is thought to be the result of his years of struggle with drug addiction, including \u201cextreme opiate addiction\u201d and alcoholism as well as \u201cmedical and psychological issues throughout his life.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bellator president Scott Coker gave MMAJunkie the following statement regarding the news of Leben’s illness:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are saddened to hear of Chris Leben\u2019s current health situation and would have loved to see him compete inside the Bellator cage. A fighter\u2019s health and safety is of the utmost importance to us as an organization. We wish Chris the best in his future endeavors and we are happy to provide a platform for him to share his story with people around the world.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Leben’s management team issued the following statement:<\/p>\n

\u201cLeben also hopes to leverage his many life lessons for the benefit of others,\u201d the statement read. \u201cHe plans to devote time to communicating with young people and the MMA community about the dangers of drug use and about how to cope with addiction.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLeben says that he is grateful to the fans, friends and family that have been there for him throughout his life and career. He will continue to fight the good fight, and has confidence that strict dedication to nutrition and wellness will allow him to succeed in this battle.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Leben’s condition has left him in “dire” need of financial help, any fans wishing to support Leben are asked to purchase a signed copy of his autobiography at his online store.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mixed martial arts veteran Chris Leben (22-11 MMA) was planning on coming out of retirement to fight for the Bellator MMA promotion. Sadly that is no longer the case, as MMAJunkie is reporting that “The Crippler” has been diagnosed with a severe medical condition that has left Chris with just 18 percent of normal blood […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":151852,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[10225],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nA severe heart condition has cancelled Chris Leben's MMA comeback | BJPenn.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/chris-leben\/a-severe-heart-condition-has-cancelled-chris-lebens-mma-comeback\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A severe heart condition has cancelled Chris Leben's MMA comeback | BJPenn.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mixed martial arts veteran Chris Leben (22-11 MMA) was planning on coming out of retirement to fight for the Bellator MMA promotion. 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