UFC 138: Munoz Stops Leben, Barao Submits Pickett
UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz took place on November 5, 2011, at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England. Mark Munoz defeated Chris Leben when Leben’s corner stopped the main event after round two. Renan Barão submitted Brad Pickett in a fast and fiercely contested co-main event, while Thiago Alves, Anthony Perosh, and Terry Etim also won by submission. The ten-fight card combined a middleweight contender’s important victory with memorable performances from several British fighters.
Munoz wins when Leben’s corner ends the contest
The main event was scheduled for five rounds despite having no championship at stake. That distinction makes its actual ending important: the fight did not reach the championship-length final rounds. Munoz won by a corner stoppage at the end of the second, officially recorded at 5:00 of round two.
Leben answered Munoz’s powerful punches with hard left hands of his own during the first round. Munoz’s wrestling and ground strikes became more effective in the second, when a cut above Leben’s eye caused increasing problems. A doctor examined the cut and allowed the action to continue, but Leben’s corner ultimately decided he should not come out for round three.
The win extended Munoz’s streak to four. It followed his decision over Demian Maia at UFC 131 and kept him firmly in the middleweight contender discussion. Leben entered after his 27-second knockout of Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132, making this a sharp reversal from one of his biggest recent successes.
The result also showed why a stoppage needs to be described precisely. Leben remained willing to compete, but willingness alone could not resolve the damage around his eye. Munoz’s work had created the problem, and the corner’s decision ended the fight before additional rounds could test either man’s endurance.
Barão and Pickett turn one round into the evening’s standout fight
Barão and Pickett traded aggressively before Barão secured a rear-naked choke at 4:09 of round one. Their exchanges earned Fight of the Night honors, with each receiving a $70,000 bonus. Pickett’s defeat was a disappointment for his home audience, but the contest itself gave the co-main event a prominent place in the night’s story.
A submission finish does not mean the contest was built entirely around grappling. Here, the standing exchanges made the transition to the choke decisive. Barão demonstrated the value of being able to move from one phase to another quickly, while Pickett’s willingness to engage helped make their brief fight so compelling.
Alves, Perosh, and Etim complete a submission-heavy main card
Alves faced an undefeated newcomer in Papy Abedi, who entered his UFC debut at 8–0 after competing at middleweight. Abedi had seven finishes in those eight victories and brought considerable confidence to the matchup. Alves, a former welterweight title challenger, represented a substantial increase in the level of opposition.
Alves hurt Abedi standing and finished a rear-naked choke at 3:32 of the opening round, his first submission victory in the UFC. Perosh overcame a difficult first round against Cyrille Diabate before using his grappling to secure another rear-naked choke in the second. Those victories left three consecutive main-card bouts ending with the same submission.
Etim required just 17 seconds to submit Edward Faaloloto with a guillotine. His finish earned Submission of the Night and provided the quickest result on the card. With four submissions beneath the corner stoppage in the headliner, none of the five main-card fights required the judges.
British debut wins and the full preliminary picture
John Maguire recovered from an early scare against Justin Edwards and used his grappling to win a unanimous decision in his UFC debut. Fellow debutant Phil De Fries defeated Rob Broughton by unanimous decision. Che Mills made an even faster first impression, stopping Chris Cope with knees and punches in 40 seconds to earn Knockout of the Night.
Michihiro Omigawa outpointed Jason Young, while Chris Cariaso beat Vaughan Lee by split decision. The preliminary card therefore supplied four decisions alongside Mills’s stoppage, giving Birmingham a broader range of contests than the sequence of main-card finishes might suggest.
Complete UFC 138 results
Main card
- Mark Munoz def. Chris Leben — TKO (corner stoppage); round 2, 5:00.
- Renan Barão def. Brad Pickett — submission (rear-naked choke); round 1, 4:09.
- Thiago Alves def. Papy Abedi — submission (rear-naked choke); round 1, 3:32.
- Anthony Perosh def. Cyrille Diabate — submission (rear-naked choke); round 2, 3:09.
- Terry Etim def. Edward Faaloloto — submission (guillotine choke); round 1, 0:17.
Preliminary card
- John Maguire def. Justin Edwards — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Phil De Fries def. Rob Broughton — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Michihiro Omigawa def. Jason Young — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Che Mills def. Chris Cope — TKO (knees and punches); round 1, 0:40.
- Chris Cariaso def. Vaughan Lee — split decision; round 3, 5:00.
Munoz’s contender momentum, Barão’s finishing ability, and successful local debuts made UFC 138 more than its unusual headlining conclusion. Explore more of our MMA coverage.
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UFC 138, UFC Results, MMA History, Munoz Stops Leben, Barao Submits Pickett
