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Report: Yoshihiro Akiyama Not Down with Chris Leben as New Opponent

Yesterday, after finding out an injured Wanderlei Silva would no longer fight Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116 (dude has broken ribs and a knee that requires surgery- guess we’ll give him a pass…this time), our childish temper tantrum soon subsided with news that Chris Leben would be Silva’s replacement. After all, Leben’s a damn entertaining […]

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Yesterday, after finding out an injured Wanderlei Silva would no longer fight Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116 (dude has broken ribs and a knee that requires surgery- guess we’ll give him a pass…this time), our childish temper tantrum soon subsided with news that Chris Leben would be Silva’s replacement. After all, Leben’s a damn entertaining fighter who also likes to slug it out, so, really things could be worse right?

Well, if a report from Fighters Only Magazine is accurate, Akiyama apparently doesn’t agree with our above sentiment. Citing a story from a South Korean blog called Daum.net, it appears as though the judo star isn’t exactly thrilled about facing Leben (to put it lightly). Why? Here’s a snippet.

“If there is to be a replacement I was hoping for a big name,” he added, “I spent one year preparing hard for this fight and this news has come as a big disappointment, my motivation has waned. I do not know yet what will happen. .. In the worst case, I will not take part in the [UFC 116] event. We are working hard to resolve this issue.”

Now, we struggle mightily with English much less Korean, so well have to take Fighters Only Magazine’s word / translation on this. Knowing Dana White, like we all think we know him, what do you think his response will be to Akiyama’s “worst case” scenario. How much of an understatement is ‘not good?’

Wanderlei Silva Reveals he has Knee Injury as well as Broken Ribs

Earlier today we passed along the unfortunate news (we’ll get through this together) that Wanderlei Silva will no longer fight Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116, due to reports that the legendary fighter had sustained a rib injury while training. Well, in a follow up report from Fighters Only Magazine, Silva informed the publication that in […]

Earlier today we passed along the unfortunate news (we’ll get through this together) that Wanderlei Silva will no longer fight Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116, due to reports that the legendary fighter had sustained a rib injury while training. Well, in a follow up report from Fighters Only Magazine, Silva informed the publication that in fact, prior to breaking three of his ribs, he suffered a serious knee injury.

“I am here to talk about my last few days. I went through a very tense and difficult weekend and had a very hard decision. Two weeks ago I felt pain in my knee while I was training wrestling. I had an MRI of my knee and three doctors told me my knee was torn. I took medicine to help with the pain, and although my knee felt loose, I said “no,” this date is very important to me and I continued training,” Silva says.

“The Axe Murderer” goes on to say in the interview that he tried to push through the knee injury, but that “Last Friday, during sparring, I injured my rib. It was very painful and the next day I had an x-ray and an MRI. I discovered I had three broken ribs.” Considering that Akiyama has spent years tossing human bodies around on a judo mat like they were bean bags, in addition to possessing a pretty solid punch (see bout with Denis Kang), we’re siding with Wanderlei on this one.

Silva will likely be on the shelf for a little while as the former Pride champ revealed his knee will require surgery. To wager a lil something, something on how his replacement Chris Leben will fair against Akiyama, head here.

Report: Chris Leben in for Injured Wanderlei Silva at UFC 116

It is times like this that ‘bloggers’ really dread (no, we’re not completely opposed to being described as ‘hacks’); so just what in the hell are we referring to? Well, if you haven’t heard by now, and didn’t read the above headline, better put the coffee down as alas our friends, Wanderlei Silva has reportedly fractured his ribs while preparing for his scheduled UFC 116 bout with Yoshihiro Akiyama. The former Pride champ is out. Take a moment, grab another donut; it will help dull the pain.

MMA Fighting was apparently the first to confirm with Dana White that indeed “The Axe Murderer” is out of the co-main event for the promotion’s July 3^rd event. Then, in a follow up report from MMA Junkie, the outlet confirmed with sources that Chris Leben has agreed to step in for Silva. MMA Fighting also confirmed afterwards that Leben will now face the accomplished judo competitor at UFC 116.

So, now we’ve got the “Cat Smasher” instead of the “Axe Murderer”; although it’s painfully clear that we here at Fix were really looking forward to seeing Wanderlei fight again (as keeping thoughts to ourselves isn’t something we do), Leben is a pretty good substitute no? We all know he’s going to go after the Japanese middleweight (just like Wandy would have), he also loves to slug it out (as does Mr. Silva) and Akiyama is no shrinking violet when it comes to stand-up battles. It’s also a huge opportunity for Leben; he just took out the rising Aaron Simpson last weekend, and another win over a notable dude like Akiyama would say a lot.

To bet on UFC 116 head here.

Brock Lesnar Says Fedor Emelianenko Greatest “In His Own Little World”

Earlier today we posted some comments from Fedor Emelianenko, who recently passed along the news, that he doesn’t concern himself with what his detractors say (and judging by his less than enthusiastic and indifferent demeanour- is anyone surprised by this?) In addition to not signing with the UFC last year, “The Last Emperor’s” recent statements […]

Earlier today we posted some comments from Fedor Emelianenko, who recently passed along the news, that he doesn’t concern himself with what his detractors say (and judging by his less than enthusiastic and indifferent demeanour- is anyone surprised by this?) In addition to not signing with the UFC last year, “The Last Emperor’s” recent statements that he’s not a big fan of the MMA giant, of course, instantly kicked new life into the whole ‘what will be Fedor’s legacy’ debate. Is he still the world’s best heavyweight? Or does he need to throw down with the UFC’s top beasts like Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez, or Brock Lesnar?

Well, speaking of the UFC Heavyweight Champion Lesnar, in a recent teleconference promoting his upcoming July 3^rd bout with Carwin (MMA is a glorious thing), the former NCAA star tossed a few more criticisms Fedor’s way (that he’s free to ignore of course). When asked to comment on recent speculation that Fedor may in fact be looking to retire, sooner than later, (further dashing hopes that the Russian will ever step into the Octagon) Mr. Lesnar said this (thanks to MMA Weekly for the quote):

“Good for Fedor, I hope he does retire.” Lesnar commented. “He’s the greatest champion of all time. He’s the greatest champion ever, of all time, in his own little world. Good for him.”

Lesnar also reportedly said “absolutely” when asked if he thinks he could beat Mr. Emelianenko; no surprises there either. Too bad we’ll likely never find out for sure. To bet on Fedor’s next fight with Fabricio Werdum, or Carwin vs. Lesnar, head here.

Video: James Toney Pretends to Call 911 to Report “Murder”

Remember when Frank Mir stated in a radio interview that he wanted to break Brock Lesnar’s neck, so that the heavyweight champ would “be the first person that dies due to Octagon-related injuries”? Well, if you’re an avid MMA fan / regular ‘internet browser’ and don’t remember that, immediately find an emergency room, as you should […]

Remember when Frank Mir stated in a radio interview that he wanted to break Brock Lesnar’s neck, so that the heavyweight champ would “be the first person that dies due to Octagon-related injuries”? Well, if you’re an avid MMA fan / regular ‘internet browser’ and don’t remember that, immediately find an emergency room, as you should recall that those comments prompted a firestorm of coverage.

Of course, at the time, there were some who pointed out that Mir’s comments weren’t really anything new to the sport, and approve of them or not, future similar statements were inevitable. Cue James Toney– now granted, in the video the boxing champ turned MMA fighter is clearly clowning around on some dude’s phone (and here’s hoping it still works after being drenched in sweat…), but here too, the charismatic fighter states that he plans on “murdering” UFC 118 opponent Randy Couture (he also threatens David Haye– who he’s boxing in October). Toney adds that “he’ll murder two people in three months and get away with it, and get paid for it; a lot of money.”

So, is this cause to lose one’s mind with righteous anger, at the audacity of Toney stating he’s going to “murder” people in the ring / cage? Or is it just the crazy, over-the-top, pre-fight antics of a fighter trying to hype a PPV bout? So whatever- let’s move on? We’re expecting both reactions.

To see the entire vid head here.

Fedor Emelianenko Not Interested in What Critics Say

Just days away from this Saturday’s Strikeforce tilt between Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum, the customary round of pre-fight interviews with the competitors, has once again left the internet littered with more tonnage of ‘what does the future hold for Fedor?’ Granted, it’s nowhere near the amount of coverage Fedor was receiving when he was […]

Just days away from this Saturday’s Strikeforce tilt between Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum, the customary round of pre-fight interviews with the competitors, has once again left the internet littered with more tonnage of ‘what does the future hold for Fedor?’ Granted, it’s nowhere near the amount of coverage Fedor was receiving when he was a free agent last year, when countless keyboards were turned into dust due to overuse.

If Emelianenko wins Saturday then all signs (and we say this with a heavy bias hoping it will happen) point to “The Last Emperor” meeting Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem. After that, and depending on the result, who knows what Fedor and his management will do next. Fedor’s decision not to sign with the UFC last year, sparked a lot of criticism from certain circles (like a certain outspoken UFC executive whose last name rhymes with Night), who maintain that the former Pride champion is no longer interested in fighting MMA’s cream of the crop (sorry-we tried to think of some reference utilizing borsch). So what does Fedor think of his critics (thanks to MMA Weekly for the quotes)?

“As far as my reaction, I don’t have any reaction,” Emelianenko stated. “I don’t really have reactions to any compliments people tell me, nor criticism. It’s not something that’s that important to me. I have more important goals in my life than seeking out the Internet to see what people are saying about me.”

So there you have it; who’s willing to put money down on Fedor signing with the UFC now? To bet on this Saturday’s bout head here.