Chris Leben's return cancelled due to life-threatening heart condition

[JayPettryMMA]

http://mmajunkie.com/2016/03/severe-heart-condition-scratches-ufc-vet-chris-lebens-bellator-comeback

Chris Leben is no longer coming out of retirement to fight for Bellator after doctors found a severe medical condition that left him with just 18 percent of normal blood flow to his heart.

Leben signed with Bellator this past month and was undergoing a physical in order to be cleared for a spring return when he failed several electrocardiogram (EKG) tests, according to the statement. Doctors discovered a “life-threatening abnormality” to the left ventricle of his heart, which was “oversized,” “misshapen,” and “not operating properly.”

A combination of life-saving drugs was immediately prescribed to Leben in hopes of preventing “a catastrophic cardiac event.”

“As of now, the prognosis is mixed: one doctor believes that he should be considered for a heart transplant, while another doctor hopes that medication and a healthy lifestyle will reverse some of the damage over time,” the statement read.

 

[LilNubi]

That's a bummer. He would of been a killer over there in Bellator. Bellators needs as many draws as they can get if they want to stay on Spike.

 

[Takun]

well at least it was caught before we had to possibly seen Leben have a fatal heart attack in the octagon. sucks for him though.

 

[MoparOrNoCar]

That's awful. Was looking forward to seeing him face weaker competition and put on more exciting fights.

 

[CDF47]

That really sucks to hear that. I hope the best for him.

 

[joeyjoejoe]

Holy fuck, I wonder how long this has been an issue? I hope he recovers.

 

[Philly253]

This is pretty sad news, I didn't want to see him fight again but this ain't the way anyone wants to see him go out. He just needs to take care of himself and enjoy life outside the cage, I'll always be a fan of the crippler.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

I wonder how many other fighters have undetected heart defects.

 

[under_t]

First Dada, now Leben
Bellator is trying to kill people.

 

[Pacemaker Joe]

well at least it was caught before we had to possibly seen Leben have a fatal heart attack in the octagon. sucks for him though.

Yea. If his left ventricle is as fucked as they're making it sound (putting him on the transplant list), I'm shocked he could even train properly.

 

[Phrozenspite]

First Dada, now Leben
Bellator is trying to kill people.

next they'll try to sign tim sylvia

 

[Meathead Jock]

First Dada, now Leben
Bellator is trying to kill people.

Bellator may have saved his life just like Survivor saved Ditkas

 

[Goatenstein]

Scott Coker cares.

 

[Liquid Smoke]

Horrible news about his heart, but I'm glad he's not fighting. Watching him quit on his stool after getting tooled on by Uriah Hall was tough to watch. I can appreciate the warrior spirit, but Chris should stay retired.

 

[Ancient Warrior]

Thats one hell of a shock. What the hell happened?

The hell with mma, I hope he finds health and peace.

 

[WouldNotBang]

Guy has had a fast life. Partying way too hard. Heard he was prescribed subutex before his last jail stint. That is some unhealthy shit to come off of. He is only 35. Hope it works out for him.

 

[Steve08]

Wow that sucks. I feel bad for him. To be honest though the idea of Chris fighting again left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[Andrey Kamensky]

Oh God... this is bad. I just he can live a normal life. Fighting is out of the question, that's for sure.

 

[tripnastic]

First Dada, now Leben
Bellator is trying to kill people.

This literally makes no sense.

They sent him for pre-fight testing on their own accord and found a life threatening condition. Sounds to me like they did the right thing?

 

[Pacemaker Joe]

http://mmanytt.se/galor/ufc/exklusi...stalls-pa-grund-av-allvarligt-hjarttillstand/

"Doctors estimate that the blood flow through is heart is only 18% of what is considered normal."

He's not back for a while. I'm assuming they're talking about his ejection fraction. Normal is around 65%. Mine got down to 13% when I got sick, and I couldn't walk to the shitter without gassing. Hope he recovers enough to have a reasonably normal life, but I'd be shocked if he fought again, even if he didn't have a lot of mileage on his body already.