Chris Leben takes on Brian Stann at UFC 125 on New Years Day in a middleweight bought. Leben is the favorite at -160 in UFC 125 odds, but this is a close matchup in a card that is full of close matchups that could go either way.

Chris Leben in his interview warns Stann against standing up against him and usually any fight with Leben in it will feature some pretty serious damage on one side or another.

Brian Stann figures that Leben is underestimating him, but that’s fine with him. This is a big fight for him and a win would establish him as a top tier fighter in the UFC middleweight division.

Really this fight comes to how Stann can deal with Leben’s relentless attack. They both bring power, but Leben’s style seems to challenge many fighters. Regardless of the result, this fight has a good chance at being the FOTN with two brawlers looking for the KO.

UFC 116 was one of the best cards ever with a bunch of good fights and some surprises.

Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar got absolutely rocked by Shane Carwin, but he did something no other fighter before him had done and got through a round with Carwin. Carwin was clearly not accustomed to fighting for longer than a few minutes and Lesnar made him pay with the submission victory.

Chris Leben got an upset victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama in a fight that wasn’t supposed to even happen. We’re glad it did because both fighters entertained.

Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski also entertained with Bonner coming out on top thanks to a TKO.

Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama square off at UFC 116 both looking to prove something.

Leben is the heavy underdog in this fight as he has slowly risen in the ranks of the UFC after getting his start in TUF. A win over Akiyama would help raise his profile.

Akiyama has proven all he can prove fighting in Asia. He wants to reverse the string of failures for Asian fighters in the UFC and prove that they can fight with the best.

Akiyama is listed at -205 in UFC odds while Leben is +165.

Chris Leben talks about his upcoming fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116. Leben likes his chances in this fight because Akiyama likes to fight on his feet and Chris Leben is best on his feet too. He expects his straightforward approach to fighting to give him the advantage before all is done.

Akiyama is the overwhelming UFC betting lines favorite at -205 while Leben is +165.

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.