Leben Returns on August 17 against Santiago

To paraphrase the old cliché, you can’t keep a good fighter down, and on Thursday August 17, Chris Leben will return to the Octagon for the first time since his June loss to Anderson Silva when he takes on hard-hitting Jorge Santiago in a middleweight bout on Spike TV’s UFC® Fight Night™.

UFC® Fight Night™, which is headlined by a welterweight battle between Diego Sanchez and Karo Parisyan, will be held at Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Leben, 15-2, was on a seemingly unstoppable five fight winning streak when he was stopped in the first round by Brazilian star Silva on June 28. But showing the heart of a champion, Leben insisted on returning to action as soon as possible, regardless of who the opponent was.

“I don’t really know a lot about him,” said Leben of Santiago. “He sounds like a very tough guy from American Top Team. I’m just excited to get back in there and compete.”

The 11-5 Santiago, a native of Rio De Janeiro, made a huge impression on fight fans in his UFC debut in June as he knocked out tough Justin Levens with a single knee at 2:13 of the first round. He knows a win over Leben will propel him even further up the 185-pound ranks.

“I think he is a tough fighter with a lot of heart,” said Santaigo of ‘The Crippler’. “This will be a hard fight, but I'm prepared to win.”

Tickets for UFC® Fight Night™ are on sale now, priced at $350, $250 and $100, and available through any Station Casinos Boarding Pass Rewards Center, The Fiestas and The Galleria Mall. Tickets can also be purchased by logging on to www.stationcasinos.com or by calling (702) 547-5300 in Nevada or 866-264-1818 from outside of Nevada.