• UFC 138

Leben and Munoz to contest first non-title five-rounder

ESPN staff
July 21, 2011
Chris Leben will get 25 minutes, not 27 seconds, to beat Mark Munoz © Getty Images
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UFC 138 in Birmingham will have its own place in UFC history when it becomes the first event to host a five-round non-title main event.

President Dana White recently announced his plan, going forward, that all main events would be scheduled for five rounds, regardless of whether a belt is on the line. Out of fairness to individuals already committed to bouts, like Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz at UFC 133, White said his plan would take effect for previously unannounced cards.

That will come to fruition when Chris Leben and Mark Munoz go to war in the middleweight division at the LG Arena.

The winner of the contest will be expected to move - potentially - within one more victory of a title shot, with Leben coming off a win over Wanderlei Silva while Munoz took a decision against Demain Maia.

There are three more interesting pairings that will directly influence the futures of Leben and Munoz. At UFC 133 Vitor Belfort does battle with Yoshihiro Akiyama, while at UFC 136 Chael Sonnen takes on Brian Stann. Then, later in the year, Michael Bisping will square off with TUF rival Jason Miller.

The dynamics of the middleweight division make interesting reading. Leben has beaten Akiyama but lost to Stann, who has been strongly linked to a future fight with Bisping, himself a previous conqueror of Leben.

Big wins are necessary if an individual is to stick his neck above water for the next crack at champion Anderson Silva, if he defeats Yushin Okami, and UFC 138 will give Leben and Munoz 25 minutes to state their cases.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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