Chris Leben has been suspended for one year by the UFC after the middleweight tested positive for the banned painkillers Oxycodone and Oxymorphone following his loss to Mark Munoz on Nov. 5 in the main event of UFC 138 in Birmingham, England.
Leben was previously suspended for nine months after testing positive for steroids following his UFC 89 loss to Michael Bisping in 2008, which also took place in Birmingham. The UFC handled drug tests for both events along with other events outside the U.S. that lacked athletic commissions to oversee them.
“I like Chris and I want him to do well, but based on his actions, he’s been suspended for one year,” UFC President Dana White said in a statement. “If he needs professional help, we are going to be there for him. We want to see him succeed not only in the Octagon, but in his personal life.”
“I would like to make it known that I fully accept this suspension and apologize for embarrassing the UFC, my friends and family, and sport of mixed martial arts,” Leben said. “I’m learning that I’m my own worst enemy sometimes. I can’t succeed in the Octagon or in life behaving this way. I’ve got to make some real changes over the next year and I’m going to focus on getting my life and career back on track. Again, I’m sorry to the UFC and fans that’ve supported me since my days on The Ultimate Fighter.”
The other 19 fighters on the UFC 138 card passed their post-fight drug tests.
