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After 19 UFC appearances, 12 of which were accompanied with ‘win bonus’ checks and five ‘Fight Night’ paydays, veteran Chris Leben (Pictured) claims his wallet is running on fumes.

Economic times are tough for nearly everyone, and Leben has just barely managed to stay afloat during his drug suspension.

“Yeah, I’m flat-out broke right now,” Leben revealed to MMAMania. “Being broke sucks. It’s probably one of my biggest things where I just feel terrible. I feel terrible for having put my wife through so much and all because of the poor decisions that I’ve made.

“The year’s been hard. The year’s been a struggle. The only thing I can say is it’s already happened. It’s water under the bridge. The only thing I can do now is try to make sure it never happens again in the future and prepare for the future now.

Leben’s 2012 troubles technically started last November when he was issued a 12-month ban after testing positive for Oxycodone and Oxymorphone (painkillers) following his UFC 138 loss to Mark Munoz. It marked the second time “The Crippler” had failed a drug exam.

The steroid Stanozolol was found in his system after losing to Michael Bisping at UFC 89 in October 2008.

Leben, who was a member of the original “The Ultimate Fighter” cast over seven years ago, will earn his next paycheck December 29th at UFC 155. The 32-year-old ends his extended hiatus against Karlos Vemola.