Tag: Yoshihiro Akiyama

For Chris Leben, Most of UFC 116 Victory Is a Blur

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFCIn the second round of their UFC 116 fight, Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama had an exchange of punches that saw Akiyama connect cleanly to Leben’s chin, and Leben somehow shake off the punches and keep going.

But while Le…

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In the second round of their UFC 116 fight, Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama had an exchange of punches that saw Akiyama connect cleanly to Leben’s chin, and Leben somehow shake off the punches and keep going.

But while Leben was able to continue and ultimately force Akiyama to tap to a triangle choke with 20 seconds remaining in the third round, he says he wasn’t all there mentally after that exchange with Akiyama. In fact, Leben says he couldn’t even remember most of what happened in the aftermath of the fight.

Bisping vs. Akiyama to Headline UFC 120; Hardy vs. Condit Co-Main Event

The UFC pairings continue to come fast and furious.

Just one day after confirming the UFC 119 main event and co-main, UFC 120 also has its top fights set.

Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama will top the UFC 120 card, UFC President Dana White has c…

The UFC pairings continue to come fast and furious.

Just one day after confirming the UFC 119 main event and co-main, UFC 120 also has its top fights set.

Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama will top the UFC 120 card, UFC President Dana White has confirmed to MMA Fighting, while the previously rumored Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit matchup will serve as the co-main event for the evening’s card, which will emanate from London’s 02 Arena on Oct. 16 and air on Spike in the U.S.

Report: Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama to Headline UFC 120

(We’re a little freaked-out too, Mike.)
UFC 120 (October 16th, London) is one of those international events that will be shown for free on Spike, so we didn’t really expect a massive headliner, but still, this is a bit of a slap in the nuts. Fighters…

Michael Bisping UFC
(We’re a little freaked-out too, Mike.)

UFC 120 (October 16th, London) is one of those international events that will be shown for free on Spike, so we didn’t really expect a massive headliner, but still, this is a bit of a slap in the nuts. Fighters Only reports that the card’s main event will be a middleweight contest between soap-opera star Michael Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama. Yes, that Yoshihiro Akiyama, the one who was submitted by Chris Leben last weekend. Akiyama deserves a headlining spot about as much as Mark Hunt deserves a UFC contract after going winless for four years.* Of course, the prospect of Bisping beating up a foreign fancy-boy will probably be enough to get the locals to come out. We’re just glad we don’t have to pay for this one. The rumored UFC 120 lineup currently looks like this…

Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit
Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne
John Hathaway vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Spencer Fisher vs. Kurt Warburton
Rob Broughton vs. Vinicius Quieroz
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Cyrille Diabaté
James Te-Huna vs. Tom Blackledge

* Turns out, the UFC contractually owes Mark Hunt fights due to their 2007 purchase of PRIDE.

Full UFC 116 Fighter Salaries

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe Nevada athletic commission recently released the UFC 116 payroll for not just the four headliners, but for the entire roster competing on the card.

The disclosed salaries are below, but as always, they are not complete as fig…

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The Nevada athletic commission recently released the UFC 116 payroll for not just the four headliners, but for the entire roster competing on the card.

The disclosed salaries are below, but as always, they are not complete as fighters have other sources of income including sponsorships and locker room bonuses, that are reported to the IRS, but not the media. That night specifically, which UFC president Dana White called the “greatest night of fights I’ve ever seen,” should have an even wider discrepancy than usual.

“We’re writing some [expletive] checks tonight. We’re writing checks – more than what you heard here tonight,” White told reporters following the event. “Guys are going to get very well taken care of tonight.”

Falling Action: Winners and Losers in the Aftermath of UFC 116

Filed under: UFCThe UFC’s July pay-per-view event is quickly becoming the MMA version of a mid-summer classic. Last year it was UFC 100 that took the organization – and, you could argue, the sport – to a whole new level. This year, UFC 116 brought us a…

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The UFC’s July pay-per-view event is quickly becoming the MMA version of a mid-summer classic. Last year it was UFC 100 that took the organization – and, you could argue, the sport – to a whole new level. This year, UFC 116 brought us a slightly less star-studded card, but one that delivered just as many great moments.

It’s one thing to stack an event with multiple title fights or big pay-per-view draws. That’s the easy way to guarantee big numbers, though it doesn’t always guarantee great fights. UFC 116 delivered in part because of guys like Brock Lesnar, but also in no small part because of guys like Chris Leben, Chris Lytle, and Stephan Bonnar.

They aren’t mainstream superstars and they can’t headline a pay-per-view on their own. All they do is put on gritty, entertaining fights on a consistent basis, which is exactly what they did on Saturday. For that, they deserve a greater share of the attention, and maybe also a bigger cut of the money. But enough preamble. Now on to the best and worst of UFC 116.

Brock Lesnar, Chris Leben Lead UFC 116 Salary List

(Gerald Harris: One finger for each of ’em. Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com)
The UFC paid out $1,373,000 in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the fighters at UFC 116, with Brock Lesnar taking home over a third of the total payroll with his $400…

Gerald Harris UFC 116 afterparty
(Gerald Harris: One finger for each of ’em. Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com)

The UFC paid out $1,373,000 in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the fighters at UFC 116, with Brock Lesnar taking home over a third of the total payroll with his $400,000 salary and $75,000 Submission of the Night bump. Chris Leben, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Stephan Bonnar also cracked the six-figure mark after their Fight of the Night bonuses were factored in. The full payout list is below. Keep in mind that these numbers don’t include additional income from sponsorships, undisclosed "locker room" bonuses, or percentages of the pay-per-view gross that some of the UFC’s stars (i.e., Brock Lesnar) are entitled to.

Brock Lesnar: $475,000 (no win bonus; includes $75,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
def. Shane Carwin: $40,000

Chris Leben: $161,000 (includes $43,000 win bonus, $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Yoshihiro Akiyama: $120,000 (includes $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Chris Lytle: $52,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus)
def. Matt Brown: $10,000

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