As detailed in new book, Chris Leben did plenty of living – and nearly some dying

Chris Leben’s run with the UFC began with the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” It ended in January 2014 when he retired from MMA. Before, during and after his tenure with the UFC, “The Crippler” did a lot of living, and on a few occasions, he came close to doing some dying.

Shortly after leaving MMA, Leben sat down with Daniel J. Patinkin and began to reveal the intimate details of his life. Eighteen months of conversations later, a memoir was born, the aptly entitled, “The Crippler: Cage Fighting and My Life on the Edge” (Skyhorse Publishing, 272 pages).

In the introduction, Leben wonders what would make someone want to pick up a copy of “The Crippler” over titles by more well known MMA figures such as Ronda Rousey or Georges St-Pierre. Leben’s conclusion is simple: “None of them are me.”

And you know what? It’s hard to argue with him on that point.

One of the most appealing things about Leben during his lengthy UFC run was how he would provide unfiltered access to whatever was running through his head at any given moment.

If there was something tumultuous going on in Leben’s life, he would talk about it in plain terms, baring his soul and not caring one bit about the repercussions. As a member of the UFC, Leben worried little about projecting an image that was friendly to corporate sponsors. He was unapologetically himself.

Those who are familiar with Leben and his exploits will find numerous incidents in this memoir that won’t be new to them. Yes, there is talk of his upbringing in “Felony Flats” in Portland, Ore., including the infamous rancid deer-meat story, his time in the “TUF” house and his time as a used-car salesman while AWOL from the Army.

There are many mentions of his tempestuous relationships with the women in his life, and of his struggles with drugs and alcohol, all while trying to compete at an elite level in the UFC.

While some, but not all, of the subject matter may be familiar, the memoir format gives Leben more room to stretch out and dig further into his life story. With more time to discuss each piece of his life and provide insight into some subjects he had not touched upon previously, such as a mystery training partner, the end of his career and his struggles with the medication he was on to treat his OxyContin use, Leben’s memoir has enough freshness to make you want to keep reading.

Chris Leben

Throughout “The Crippler,” Patinkin does an excellent job of capturing Leben’s voice. In very short order, the readere will find themselves hearing Leben’s raspy voice in their head as they read his memoir.

There are a lot of ugly stories in this book, and Leben knows that.

“What you read here might disgust you, shock you, terrify you,” he writes. But before you start thinking this is just one huge downer of a book, you have to realize why this book exists.

Leben didn’t get involved in this project to tell a cautionary tale in which all the sudden the protagonist learns a lesson and comes out a bigger and better person. No, Leben worked on this memoir to tell his story and let the chips fall where they may.

There are points in “The Crippler” where the reader won’t know whether to feel pity or embarrassment for Leben, such as when he wakes up in his Las Vegas hotel room in a pool of vomit, just days before his August 2005 fight with Patrick Cote.

By no means is “The Crippler” all doom and gloom or tales of outrageous and often illegal exploits. There are moments in this memoir that provide insight into the complicated person Leben is. One of those moments is when Leben reveals how he feels he is well equipped to be both a coach and a mentor, a feeling that stemmed from a recently developed personal philosophy closely aligned with Buddhism.

If there is one drawback to “The Crippler,” it’s something that Leben brings up in the introduction. Leben readily admits that there are many incidents from his life that didn’t make the final cut for his memoir. While Leben and Patinkin may have good reason for excising these stories from the book, one can’t help but feel that if they were included, “The Crippler” would have been a much more fulfilling read.

As it stands, Leben’s memoir is a good read. It’s Chris Leben, warts and all, and if those stories that were left out of “The Crippler” appear in a second memoir, well, that’s something we can all look forward to.

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