BIRMINGHAM, England, November 5, 2011 – The UFC completed the only UK stop on its 2011 world tour this past Saturday night with the UFC 138 event highlighted by Mark Muñoz vs. Chris Leben at the LG Arena in Birmingham.
The matchup between the two hard-hitting middleweights lived up to its billing as the two traded punches and takedowns in a closely matched first round. The second round saw the red-haired Chris Leben become even more red than before when a nasty cut was opened around his left eye. Initially the doctor let the fight go on assuming that “The Crippler” could still see. They would re-check the cut during the break and call a stoppage to the action for a TKO win in favor of the “Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Muñoz.
“I want to be the best in the division,” said Muñoz after the fight about his place in the 185 weight class currently dominated by training partner Anderson Silva. “I’m working my way up, and that fight, along with the fight before that one, gives me confidence that I can be the best in the division.”
With this TKO stoppage of Leben marking his fourth victory in a row since losing a narrow split decision to former #1 contender Yushin Okami, Muñoz may be getting dangerously close to getting his wish in the form of a title shot against the undisputed champion and pound-for-pound #1 fighter in the world.
“I paid my dues in this weight class and I think I deserve a title shot,” said the winner. “Anderson Silva is by far the best pound-for-pound fighter. I give him all the respect and honor, but I think I deserve a title shot right now. I consider him a friend, but right now I’d love to get a title shot.”
UFC 138 – Undercard Highlights
The rest of the undercard in Birmingham all featured stoppages as well with all four Spike TV televised bouts ending in submission.
Winning FOTN honors for the evening, Renan Barão used a plethora of combinations and knee strikes to knock his opponent Brad Pickett down before choking him out with the RNC in the first round.
Likewise, “Pitbull” Thiago Alves also dropped his opponent Papy Abedi before choking him out with an RNC in the first.
Australian heavyweight Anthony Perosh would complete the RNC-fest with a second round victory over French striker Cyrille Diabate.
Rounding out the main card, British native Terry Etim would need only 17 seconds to score a guillotine victory over Edward Faaloloto to get the win and land submission of the night honors.
See below for full results from Birmingham, England.
UFC 138 – Main Card Results
• Mark Muñoz defeats Chris Leben via doctor’s stoppage after R2.
• Renan Barão submits Brad Pickett via rear-naked choke in R1.
• Thiago Alves submits Papy Abedi via rear-naked choke in R1.
• Anthony Perosh submits Cyrille Diabate via rear-naked choke in R2.
• Terry Etim defeats Edward Faaloloto via guillotine choke in R1
UFC 138 – Preliminary Card Results
• John Maguire defeats Justin Edwards via unanimous decision
• Phil De Fries defeats Rob Broughton via unanimous decision
• Michihiro Omigawa defeats Jason Young via unanimous decision
• Che Mills defeats Chris Cope via TKO in R1
• Chris Cariaso defeats Vaughan Lee via split decision
LIKE TXMMA on Facebook for more in-depth news and coverage of the MMA & grappling scene along with fan contests to win great prizes courtesy of TXMMA.com and much more.
