Chris Leben Suspended by the UFC For a Positive Steroids test

Chris Leben, who seemed to be getting his life back on track after a number of setbacks, has taken another step backwards after being suspended by the UFC for nine months.

Leben tested positive for the steroid Stanazolol after his UFC 89 main event fight against Michael Bisping. After his positive test, the UFC announced that they were suspending Leben for nine months and fining him one-third of his "undisclosed fight purse."

Chris apparently used the drug following his fight against Alessio Sakara in March of 2008. The drug can apparently take a few months to clear the system. It is unknown whether or not Leben used the drug to enhance his body in the months leading up to the Michael Bisping fight.

Can Leben recover from this latest setback? UFC fans are notoriously hard on fighters that test positive for banned substances. Sean Sherk is booed during every appearance. Tim Sylvia was mercilessly booed after testing positive. Chris Leben is a fan favorite due to his aggressive fighting style, but this might all change now.

Leben called the positive test "embarrassing" and a "hard hit for me monetarily." Chris said that he will use his time off to speak to kids about the dangers of using performance enhancing drugs.

Chris Leben was on a self-described "mental, physical and spiritual re-awakening." Leben has dealt with a number of different issues over the years, and seemed to be getting his life back on track. He appeared on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter and was constantly under the influence of alcohol. After his appearance on the show, Leben swore off of drinking.

Chris was supposed to originally face off against Michael Bisping at UFC 85, but had to deal with some lingering legal issues in Oregon relating to a past arrest. Leben was scheduled to more jail time than anticipated, and was forced to pull himself off of the UFC 85 card. The match with Bisping was re-scheduled for UFC 89, with Leben dropping the fight via unanimous decision.

Leben has a career professional MMA record of 18-5-0. He has beaten names including Patrick Cote, Mike Swick and Luigi Fioravanti during his career. Notable losses have come against Jason MacDonald, Michael Bisping and Anderson "The Spider" Silva.

Is this the end for Chris Leben in the UFC? Has Dana White given the fighter enough second chances already? Will the fans turn their backs on Leben? Chris Leben has a great story, but you have to think that the UFC are losing their patience.

Source: Yahoo! - Leben Suspended; ESPN Plots

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