• UFC 138

Munoz to finish Leben in two rounds - Ellenberger

ESPN staff
November 4, 2011
Jake Ellenberger talks to ESPN

For live tweets from UFC 138 on Saturday, follow @Ben_Blackmore on Twitter

Jake Ellenberger is backing Mark Munoz to provide an early ending to the UFC's first five-round non-title bout at UFC 138 this weekend.

Munoz meets Chris Leben in a middleweight encounter that is scheduled to last 25 minutes on Saturday. However, both men rarely take a backward step, with Leben's last four fights ending inside the distance.

Ellenberger has been helping Munoz train for the Birmingham bout, and he insists the 33-year-old has never been in better shape. Munoz has won his last three fights, and Ellenberger is expecting that statistic to improve to four when he takes on Leben.

"I know both of them really well," Ellenberger told ESPN. "Leben, he's a tough cat. Always game to fight. Mark, he works really hard and in the last couple of years he's got leaps and bounds better.

"It's a good match-up. Leben's a natural fighter, but Mark's in phenomenal shape right now.

"I've been helping him train and I don't think it's going to go very long. Maybe a round or two, I've never seen Mark look this good before so I'd have to go with a TKO. I don't see it going past two."

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