{"id":280948,"date":"2018-07-18T06:34:11","date_gmt":"2018-07-18T13:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=280948"},"modified":"2018-08-15T10:16:32","modified_gmt":"2018-08-15T17:16:32","slug":"chris-leben-explains-how-hell-be-able-to-compete-in-bareknuckle-fight-despite-severe-heart-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/chris-leben\/chris-leben-explains-how-hell-be-able-to-compete-in-bareknuckle-fight-despite-severe-heart-condition\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Leben explains how he’ll be able to compete in bareknuckle fight despite severe heart condition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday evening, we learned that former UFC middleweight star Chris Leben will return to action this fall when he battles fellow UFC veteran Phil Baroni in a bareknuckle boxing bout.<\/a> The fight will be promoted by the upstart\u00a0World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation (WBKFF) in Casper, Wyoming.<\/p>\n

This is not Leben’s first attempt at a comeback. Several years ago, the UFC vet was expected to start competing under the Bellator banner. Unfortunately for him, these plans were derailed when it was learned that he had a severe heart condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoctors estimate that the blood flow through is heart is only 18 percent of what is considered normal,\u201d Leben’s management said in a statement to MMAJunkie\u00a0<\/a>shortly after his Bellator plans were derailed.<\/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.”<\/p>\n

So how, pray tell, is Leben healthy enough to compete in a bareknuckle boxing fight? Well, it sounds like that second doctor was right.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the last three years, I\u2019ve been sober, and I\u2019ve also been on an organic supplement regimen that my boss at [Arena MMA] put me on,\u201d Leben told MMAJunkie<\/a>. \u201cThings like raw cayenne pepper, raw garlic powder, turmeric, wheatgrass \u2013 I take about 20 different powders a day, a couple times a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy cardiologist is in disbelief,\u201d he added. \u201cThey didn\u2019t expect me to ever recover, much less to the level I\u2019m at now, where I\u2019m just like another healthy adult again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel better than I ever have. I was probably running on four cylinders my last few UFC fights, and now I\u2019m going to be able to go out there and put 100 percent out. Not to mention, my head is about 1,000 percent clearer. I feel dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

The good news is that, while Leben seems to\u00a0feel\u00a0<\/em>like he’s in good shape, WBKFF seems determined to make sure he’s actually healthy enough to compete before he steps into the ring…<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Chris and his medical team and our medical team can come to the conclusion that this is OK, then no problem,\u201d WBKFF director of operations and events \u2014 a man who only identified himself ‘J.C.’ \u2014 told MMAJunkie<\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t think Chris would put himself in harm\u2019s way, or get himself hurt in any way, and I don\u2019t think his medical team would allow that either.”<\/p>\n

While this is somewhat reassuring, let’s hope ‘J.C.’ isn’t just going on what Chris Leben tells him, and that the former UFC star is actually thoroughly examined. Leben trains out of Arena MMA<\/a> in San Diego California.<\/p>\n

This article first appeared on\u00a0<\/i>BJPenn.com<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u00a0on 7\/17\/2018. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday evening, we learned that former UFC middleweight star Chris Leben will return to action this fall when he battles fellow UFC veteran Phil Baroni in a bareknuckle boxing bout. The fight will be promoted by the upstart\u00a0World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation (WBKFF) in Casper, Wyoming. This is not Leben’s first attempt at a comeback. 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The fight will be promoted by the upstart\u00a0World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation (WBKFF) in Casper, Wyoming. This is not Leben’s first attempt at a comeback. 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