Leben Peeved Akiyama Almost Turned Him Down
It angers Chris Leben
to hear that Yoshihiro
Akiyama resisted accepting a bout with him as a late
replacement after Wanderlei
Silva withdrew from the co-headlining bout last week with a
torn ACL and broken ribs. This will undoubtedly serve as added
motivation when Leben faces Akiyama this Saturday at UFC
116 “Lesnar vs. Carwin” in Las Vegas.
“I’ve won 10 fights in the UFC. Akiyama won one fight and it was split decision over Alan Belcher,” Leben told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Savage Dog Show” on Wednesday. “I don’t see what he’s complaining about. His opponent got hurt; he’s lucky to have a fight. Bottom line is he works for the UFC and he needs to get in there and do his job.”
The 29-year-old Leben took a bout with the former K-1 Hero’s champion on 13 days’ notice after blasting into two-time All-American wrestler Aaron Simpson for a second-round TKO stoppage at “The Ultimate Fighter 11” Finale on June 19 in Las Vegas. Leben said he arrived home after the bout, ate a pizza with his girlfriend, went to bed and awoke to a phone call from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva the next morning. It took Leben 30 minutes to give Silva his answer; the “The Ultimate Fighter 1” standout saw the fast turnaround as a “great opportunity.”
“I’m already in great shape. I got through the (Simpson) fight without any bumps or bruises, so it’s just maintaining, getting back in the gym training and making sure I maintain my diet,” said Leben.
The former Team Quest fighter, who moved from Portland, Oregon to Hawaii in 2009, believes there are advantages and disadvantages for both sides in the last-minute matchup.
“Akiyama was training for a Silva, not a left-handed Chris Leben,” he said. “I was training for Aaron Simpson, who’s a phenomenal wrestler, but not quite the striking ability that Akiyama has.”
Leben said it took him little time to prep and implement a game plan into the scant days he had left to train for Akiyama, who’s fought only once since signing with the UFC over a year ago.
“My goal is to go in there and impose my will, my game plan, not train for (my opponent),” said Leben. “Akiyama tends to train for his opponents a little more, so I think that’s going to hinder him taking the fight on short notice.”
In many ways, Leben believes Simpson posed a greater threat than the Japanese-bred striker will be able to Saturday.
“I think Simpson hits harder. I think Simpson’s got better takedowns,” said Leben. “I think Akiyama’s got better footwork and I think Akiyama’s a little bit trickier and he’s also got quite a bit more ring experience…but no matter what, I’m not scared of this guy. He was hitting Alan Belcher with everything he had and Belcher just laughed at him.”
Nonetheless, as he was against Simpson, Leben enters the bout against Akiyama as the betting-lines underdog. Leben said the industry is selling him short.
“Here’s the problem with the fans of our sport. You win two fights and you’re the next big thing. You lose two fights and you’re washed up and your career’s over,” said Leben. “That’s just the way it is in this industry, but it’s not truly the case.”
A victory on Saturday will be Leben’s third in a row, a far cry from the troubled fighter who was suspended for nine months in 2008 after testing positive for the steroid Stanzolol metabolite following a unanimous decision defeat to Michael Bisping at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England.
“(A win on Saturday) would be absolutely huge for me,” said Leben. “This is what I do. This is what I love. Finally, I kind of feel like I’m getting everybody back on my side and to be able to take this fight on short notice and let the UFC know that I’m a company man, and letting everyone know that I’m not afraid to get out there and win, and if I win in awesome fashion, it’s going to really put things back in my court…I want to win this fight more than any other fight I’ve ever had. I’m going out there and laying it on the line. I’ll die before I tap out.
“The only person that’s ever beaten me before is me. Right now, I’m the best Chris Leben the world’s ever seen and that’s no bulls---.”
“I’ve won 10 fights in the UFC. Akiyama won one fight and it was split decision over Alan Belcher,” Leben told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Savage Dog Show” on Wednesday. “I don’t see what he’s complaining about. His opponent got hurt; he’s lucky to have a fight. Bottom line is he works for the UFC and he needs to get in there and do his job.”
The 29-year-old Leben took a bout with the former K-1 Hero’s champion on 13 days’ notice after blasting into two-time All-American wrestler Aaron Simpson for a second-round TKO stoppage at “The Ultimate Fighter 11” Finale on June 19 in Las Vegas. Leben said he arrived home after the bout, ate a pizza with his girlfriend, went to bed and awoke to a phone call from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva the next morning. It took Leben 30 minutes to give Silva his answer; the “The Ultimate Fighter 1” standout saw the fast turnaround as a “great opportunity.”
“I’m already in great shape. I got through the (Simpson) fight without any bumps or bruises, so it’s just maintaining, getting back in the gym training and making sure I maintain my diet,” said Leben.
The former Team Quest fighter, who moved from Portland, Oregon to Hawaii in 2009, believes there are advantages and disadvantages for both sides in the last-minute matchup.
“Akiyama was training for a Silva, not a left-handed Chris Leben,” he said. “I was training for Aaron Simpson, who’s a phenomenal wrestler, but not quite the striking ability that Akiyama has.”
Leben said it took him little time to prep and implement a game plan into the scant days he had left to train for Akiyama, who’s fought only once since signing with the UFC over a year ago.
“My goal is to go in there and impose my will, my game plan, not train for (my opponent),” said Leben. “Akiyama tends to train for his opponents a little more, so I think that’s going to hinder him taking the fight on short notice.”
In many ways, Leben believes Simpson posed a greater threat than the Japanese-bred striker will be able to Saturday.
“I think Simpson hits harder. I think Simpson’s got better takedowns,” said Leben. “I think Akiyama’s got better footwork and I think Akiyama’s a little bit trickier and he’s also got quite a bit more ring experience…but no matter what, I’m not scared of this guy. He was hitting Alan Belcher with everything he had and Belcher just laughed at him.”
Nonetheless, as he was against Simpson, Leben enters the bout against Akiyama as the betting-lines underdog. Leben said the industry is selling him short.
“Here’s the problem with the fans of our sport. You win two fights and you’re the next big thing. You lose two fights and you’re washed up and your career’s over,” said Leben. “That’s just the way it is in this industry, but it’s not truly the case.”
A victory on Saturday will be Leben’s third in a row, a far cry from the troubled fighter who was suspended for nine months in 2008 after testing positive for the steroid Stanzolol metabolite following a unanimous decision defeat to Michael Bisping at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England.
“(A win on Saturday) would be absolutely huge for me,” said Leben. “This is what I do. This is what I love. Finally, I kind of feel like I’m getting everybody back on my side and to be able to take this fight on short notice and let the UFC know that I’m a company man, and letting everyone know that I’m not afraid to get out there and win, and if I win in awesome fashion, it’s going to really put things back in my court…I want to win this fight more than any other fight I’ve ever had. I’m going out there and laying it on the line. I’ll die before I tap out.
“The only person that’s ever beaten me before is me. Right now, I’m the best Chris Leben the world’s ever seen and that’s no bulls---.”
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