Uriah Hall finds killer instinct, stops Chris Leben at UFC 168
Conventional wisdom was that both Uriah Hall and Chris Leben had their jobs on the line Saturday night at UFC 168. The TUF 1 veteran Leben came into the fight on a three-fight losing streak and Hall had lost his two official UFC fights since making it to the finals of TUF.
The always aggressive Leben was to provide the fire test to Hall's sometimes too passive ice. The flashy striker from New York passed the test with flying colors, stopping Leben with strikes after one round.
Hall was content to use excellent foot work to stay out of Leben's way while mixing in his own selective but powerful shots. Leben walked into a right punch near the end of the first and was dropped hard by it.
Hall followed up with strikes on the ground until the horn sounded and the round ended. It appeared as if Leben had survived the round until the referee heard the warrior ask his corner if he had been knocked out.
It was clear that Leben should not sustain more damage and the fight was stopped in between rounds. Hall now has his first official win and may be on his way to answering critics, including UFC president Dana White, who have questioned whether he has a fighter's heart or not.
Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda and @YahooCagewriter
