Newly-retired Chris Leben ‘might consider a return’ to fight ‘dweeb’ Jake Paul

After an 18-year run in combat sports, UFC veteran turned bare-knuckle boxer Chris Leben has finally decided to walk away from professional fighting. “The Crippler” closed this chapter of his life on Friday when knocked out Quentin Harry in the first round of their main card bout at BKFC KnuckleMania.

Now that the dust has settled, the 40-year-old Leben has nothing but satisfaction towards his performance for the final curtain call of his career.

“The fight was exactly what I wanted,” Leben told reporters during the post-fight press conference. “I knew when Quentin got up that I was in trouble. If you watched his other fights, that’s when this guy gets going is once he gets hit real hard.

“I knew we were going to start slugging at that point. You guys can probably tell by my nose he landed some good shots as well. There’s not much else to say.

“It was a beautiful way for me to cap my career. Long time in combat sports. It’s bittersweet but being part of this organization, finishing my career with a bare-knuckle knockout, there’s nothing else I could add to it.”

But as we’ve seen many times in prizefighting, retirement statements don’t hold water. There’s always that one thing that would pull former competitors back in. In Leben’s case, it’s the idea of fighting YouTuber Jake Paul.

Leben could only be stirring the pot here. But one thing we all know is that Paul has gotten himself enough attention to generate more buzz for his brand.

The 24-year-old internet sensation is currently scheduled to fight Ben Askren in a boxing match this April.