Josh Hedges / Zuffa

Chris Leben (left) is known for his hammer-like hands. He'll need them when he takes on Michael Bisping on Oct. 18.

MC: You were originally supposed to fight him a while back, but that fight was scrapped due to some legal issues you had. How frustrating was that setback, and did you think you’d ever get the chance to fight him again?

CL: It was terribly frustrating. When I was first presented the opportunity to fight Bisping, I was super excited and stoked. Obviously it didn’t work out. It was a huge bummer and letdown. I didn’t think I’d have that opportunity, but the UFC came around and said they’d give me a second chance at Bisping. I was stoked. It made it that much more exciting.

MC: What was it like making that call to UFC to tell them you couldn’t fight him?

CL: It was tough. No one likes to miss out on a fight, let alone such a high-caliber fight. It wasn’t easy.

MC: When you were spending that time in jail, you have nothing but time to think. Did it start to drive you crazy thinking you had blown a golden opportunity?

CL: You can’t beat yourself up forever. I had a lot of time to think and reevalute things. I’ve made some mistakes in my life, but it furthered my belief that I need to focus on correcting and changing some things about who I am as a person so that would never happen again.

MC: What do you think about the chances of fighting Anderson Silva again? How do you think you’d match up or do differently a second time around?

CL: I like to hope they’re good. Nobody knows what turns the wheels backstage at the UFC, but I was the first one to fight Anderson in the UFC a few years ago. I’m a completely different fighter now.

MC: SpikeTV tends to show some highlight-reel moments on their shows repeatedly, and one of them happens to be when Anderson Silva knocked you out. Does that bother you to watch or do you simply use it for motivation?

CL: It used to get under my skin watching it over and over, but it’s the past. It’s water under the bridge. It’s the old Chris Leben, not the Chris of today. As far as I’m concerned, I made mistakes and he capitalized on them because he’s a great fighter. Lesson learned. I went back to the drawing board. Revamped my style, revamped my game. Time has elapsed, and now when I watch it, I feel like it’s a different person that happened to. The Chris Leben of today would respond differently in that situation.

MC: Why do you think Silva has been so difficult to solve for such an impressive list of fighters?

CL: First, he’s patient. He waits for an opening, and when he gets it, he capitalizes. Second, he follows up well, and third, he’s got pinpoint accuracy. Anyone who’s got good footwork, patience and accuracy is going to be hard to beat. I don’t think he’s a cyborg, I don’t think he’s the terminator. He’s a human being that just happens to be on a great run, and more power to him.

MC: What does it mean to you to be the main event of a big card like this?

CL: It’s huge. I’m in the main event of a big fight getting publicity. As far as my career goes, it’s a big step. Whoever wins gets catapulted to contention. Whoever loses gets kicked back down amongst the pack of 185ers. It’s a fight I really want to win, and I’ve gotta tell you, I’ve been training harder than I ever have in my entire life to do that.