Chris Leben hopes sobriety leads to turnaround at UFC 162

Part of UFC middleweight contender Chris Leben‘s charm, it seems, are his flaws.

From his days as a troubled but gifted prospect on the original season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series to his recent stint in rehab to kick an addiction to prescription painkillers, Leben has remained a fan favorite due as much for his willingness to bare his soul as for his penchant for crowd-pleasing brawls.

Now, with 15 months of sobriety under his belt, the slugger hopes fans are still around to see what he believes will be an impressive second act.

“I’m a creature of excess – everything in excess and nothing in moderation,” Leben told USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “That’s kind of been my motto for life. So this health thing, and this energy I have, I’m getting addicted to that. It’s a complete rebirth.”

Over the past two-plus years, Leben has struggled through a 1-3 stretch that left many wondering if, at 32, the Oregonian’s fighting days were over. Aware that his career was at a crossroads, Leben looked for an opportunity to change. When his wife proposed relocating from Hawaii to San Diego so she could attend law school, Leben found his answer at Alliance Training Center, a famed gym just outside of “America’s Finest City.”

“I came out to San Diego, and I went to Alliance to practice for a day, and you see all those guys – Dominick Cruz, Phil Davis, Mike Chandler and many more – on the mat every single practice,” Leben said. “With the camaraderie and the team that it is, I realized, ‘Holy crap. This is what I need to be a part of if I want to keep progressing in the sport.’”

In addition to his work at Alliance Training Center, Leben has crafted an entirely new approach to his nutrition and well-being. It includes following the tenets of an alkaline diet, in which he obtains many of his daily nutrients through vegetable juicing and weekly trips to an isolation tank to aid in his healing.

Leben (22-9 MMA, 12-8 UFC) puts his new theories to the test at Saturday’s UFC 162 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. Leben faces prospect Andrew Craig (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in a preliminary card bout (FX, 8 p.m. ET) prior to the evening’s main card (pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET).

The result could prove pivotal in Leben’s career. After all, another loss could signal his UFC release while a win could possibly launch a career turnaround. But for Leben, that’s hardly the most important part of the story. For him, managing the flaws remains paramount.

“It’s more than just getting sober,” Leben said. “It’s a complete lifestyle change. It’s just a different story these days, and I think for me, it will probably always be something that I’m dealing with. It’s like they say: one day at a time. I just train hard and focus.

“I love where I’m at right now. Fighting is just one little detail that’s coming up shortly, but I love where I’m at, and I’m going to continue on that path.”

For the latest on UFC 162, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.