Light heavyweight Yoshihiro Akiyama faces Chris Leben at UFC 116 after Wanderlei Silva was forced to withdraw due to an injury sustained in training.
Akiyama is heavily favored in UFC 116 lines listed at -205 while Leben is +165.
Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has a background in Judo and Shotokan Karate. He is primarily a submission threat, but has the power to get the knockouts too. His lone UFC victory came against Alan Belcher at UFC 100. The fight was Akiyama’s first fight to go the full three rounds and ended in a split decision. Akiyama won the fight despite suffering a broken orbital bone in the second round.
TUF Season 1 alumnus Chris Leben (20-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) is trained in Boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Wrestling. Just like the fighter that he is replacing, Wanderlei Silva, Chris Leben is an aggressive fighter. He often gets away with mistakes by employing a very relentless brawling style that doesn’t give opponents time to react. He also has a good chin which also helps. He is primarily a knockout threat and all of his wins against better opposition have come by knockout or TKO. He last fought at the TUF season finale and has less than two weeks between fights.
Akiyama’s fight against Belcher won Fight of the Night and this matchup certainly has the potential to give him his second straight Fight of the Night award.
Leben will likely need a knockout to get a victory. Akiyama should be able to put Leben on the mat where Akiyama enjoys a significant advantage if Leben gets too close. Akiyama is just as dangerous as Leben standing up with space between the two.
