Chris
Leben remains hospitalized after suffering from complications
due to COVID-19, but he seems to be making some positive
progress.
The UFC veteran and “Ultimate Fighter 1” cast member provided an
update on his condition from his hospital bed via Instagram on
Monday. Leben
initially revealed that he had been hospitalized earlier in
February due to difficulty breathing following a bout with
COVID.
In his latest post, “The Crippler seemed optimistic that he could
make a full recovery.
“I think that’s what took the most damage, for sure, is my lungs.
They did say 100 percent of my lungs are damaged, but they also
said 100 percent recovery is possible, and I think that’s what’s
going to happen,” Leben said. “It’s going to take some time, start
out slow, but I’m still alive, man. I’m still here. And for that,
I’m so grateful.
“The fact that I get to fight my way back to 100 percent health,
that I have that opportunity, is such a blessing. When you’re where
I was, and you’re where I’m at now, I’ll tell you what, you count
everything as a blessing — even this crappy hospital food, even
this jello, blessings.”
Leben, who competed on Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” hasn’t
competed in MMA since a loss to Uriah Hall at
UFC 168 in December 2013. His 22-12 MMA mark includes triumphs over
the likes of Wanderlei
Silva, Yoshihiro
Akiyama, Alessio
Sakara, Jorge
Santiago, Patrick Cote
and Mike
Swick. The 41-year-old known as “The Crippler” has competed
multiple times in bare-knuckle boxing since his last UFC
appearance, most recently defeating Quentin
Henry at a BKFC event in February 2021. Leben
retired from combat sports following the win over Henry.
Leben didn’t have a timetable for his recovery, but his primary
message was one of gratitude after surviving a scary situation.
“I’ll tell you, I learned a lot. I learned a lot. It’s not that I’m
scared to die. It’s that I’m in love with life, and I have so much
to live for. I have a beautiful child and a thriving new business,
and I have family, and I have the greatest, closest friends in the
world, that all came together and showed me how much they cared
about me during this trying time. So, yeah — don’t get me wrong, I
wouldn’t recommend everybody go through this so they can have a
sense of gratitude. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. But I learned a
lot from this experience, and I’ll be back 100 percent. It might
take a year, but at least I’m alive, so what’s a year? If I was
dead, I wouldn’t have the opportunity.”