LeBanner appeared in the final of the Grand Prix tournament twice: 1995 and 2002. This 7 year spread between appearances in the final is a record. LeBanner is also one of 2 fighters to reach the final twice and never win the title.

Jerome is a right-handed southpaw. He is a well-rounded generalist who has earned a reputation for being a power puncher despite having top quality kicks. His chin has been unjustly criticized. Jerome can take a hard hit and stay in the fight. The problem is (or was) that he takes far too many hits. With tighter defense, he has reached his full potential. The one lingering problem is that his left forearm was shattered in 2002 by kicks from Hoost and now every opponent ruthlessly puts kicks on his arm.

LeBanner is probably the hardest puncher in the K-1. He certainly is on anyone’s top 3 list. Power punchers enjoy the lion’s share of fan popularity and are on the good side of the bell curve when it comes to purses. So much the better. I believe the fighter who draws the fans (ie. revenue) should be compensated best. This is certainly true for Jerome.

In 2001 and again in 2006, Jerome’s popularity allowed him to wag the dog. In 2001, he had a KO loss changed to a no contest. A no contest is only used in cases where an accident has happened in an incomplete 1^st round. Accidents in later rounds are never reverted to no contest. Instead, a technical decision is used. In 2001, Bernardo knocked out LeBanner with 3 post round strikes. It was unintentional as he was in the middle of a multiple strike flurry and couldn’t hear the bell over the screams of the crowd. It was initially called a KO win for Bernardo. After review, however, the first round could have been scored and a technical decision could have stood. Not with LeBanner. The fight doesn’t count at all. In 2006, LeBanner lost a decision to Bonjasky and had the fight re-scored declaring him the winner. This wasn’t an incident in the fight that was in error such as an inappropriate yellow card. The K-1 tossed out the score sheets entirely and started from scratch with the sole purpose of overturning the decision in LeBanner’s favor. No other fighter benefits from such political power. Not even former flagship Bob Sapp. This is a very unfortunate distraction from Jerome's fights.

Political issues aside, LeBanner is still a solid contender for the Grand Prix. Fans have lost money for years betting on him and may continue to do so. Perhaps 2007 will be the year that Jerome helps his fans break even or perhaps profit.