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UFC 116 Video Round-Up: Lesnar Says Carwin Poses No Threat to Him; UFC Fighters Weigh In On Main Event

(Video courtesy YouTube/Zuffa)
Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin have really stepped up the trash talk in the week leading up to their heavyweight title clash Saturday night at UFC 116.
Prior to this point, Lesnar has been uncharacteristically sedate…

(Video courtesy YouTube/Zuffa)

Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin have really stepped up the trash talk in the week leading up to their heavyweight title clash Saturday night at UFC 116.

Prior to this point, Lesnar has been uncharacteristically sedate in his pre-fight posturing and seemed almost respectful towards Carwin during a conference call two weeks ago.

Well, apparently Brock got the itch to flip the script and went "WWE" on Shane in the above video.

"I feel no threat by him whatsoever. I don’t feel any threats by anybody."

Considering Carwin has yet to be defeated and has never fought outside of round one in any of his bouts, he may want to consider him a threat.

Cognizant that Lesnar is likely speaking out of his ass, Carwin calls him on the remark as well.

"Brock can talk all the garbage he wants for this fight. When they close that cage and I see Brock across from me, I want to tear him apart."

I know one thing: Somebody is getting hurt in this one.

Yoshihiro Akiyama Says “I’ll do my Best” at UFC 116

If you think you’re depressed about Wanderlei Silva dropping out of UFC 116, due to having three broken ribs and a trashed knee, talk to Yoshihiro Akiyama. Going off various reports this week, it sounds like “Sexyama” (wonder who came up with that nickname?) is rife with grief, about not being able to fight Silva […]

If you think you’re depressed about Wanderlei Silva dropping out of UFC 116, due to having three broken ribs and a trashed knee, talk to Yoshihiro Akiyama. Going off various reports this week, it sounds like “Sexyama” (wonder who came up with that nickname?) is rife with grief, about not being able to fight Silva any longer. First there were reports that he was less than enthralled about fighting replacement Chris Leben next Saturday, and in a more recent report from MMA Fighting, the fighter’s management reportedly informed the outlet that Akiyama has been suffering from depression and had stopped training…wow. Talk about wanting to fight someone…

The report went on to say that Akiyama still wasn’t sure he was going to even show up for UFC 116, before passing a long an update from the middleweight’s blog, which apparently stated:

“I had various choices but … I’ll do my best in my fight!”

This jives with MMA Junkie’s report yesterday that Akiyama had finally agreed to take the fight. Just spit balling here, but if Akiyama had outright refused to fight Leben and pulled a no show at UFC 116- the chances of the Japanese fighter remaining on good terms with Dana White and the UFC brass, would be what? 1%? Or is that being too generous?

At any rate, as we noted earlier in the week, we’re thinking Leben vs. Akiyama could be pretty sweet. To bet on UFC 116 head here.

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 […]

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?’

The Controversial Career of Yoshihiro Akiyama

("The fine print specifically says no opponents with the word "cat" in their nicknames.")
Yoshihiro Akiyama’s proclamation that he may not agree to face Chris Leben at UFC 116 made me think that maybe Japanese MMA fans are right a…

("The fine print specifically says no opponents with the word "cat" in their nicknames.")

Yoshihiro Akiyama’s proclamation that he may not agree to face Chris Leben at UFC 116 made me think that maybe Japanese MMA fans are right about him when they say he has no Budo.

Now before you put on your mean mug and warm up your angry typing fingers to tell me I’m an idiot, hear me out.

Wanderlei Silva: ‘I’m Paying the Bill for All These Years of Fighting’

Filed under: UFC

The decision to pull out of his UFC 116 match didn’t come easily for Wanderlei Silva. The event falls on the same day as his birthday — July 3 — and even before he was scheduled for the card, he was lobbying for a spot on it.

Filed under: UFC

Yoshihiro Akiyama Wants No Part of Chris Leben, Threatens to Pull Out of UFC 116

(Akiyama’s next fight just went from "Beauty and the Beast" to "Beauty and the Average-Looking Guy." *You* try to sell that. / Photo courtesy of ESPN.)
If you’re heartbroken that Wanderlei Silva won’t be competing at UFC 116 next …

(Akiyama’s next fight just went from "Beauty and the Beast" to "Beauty and the Average-Looking Guy." *You* try to sell that. / Photo courtesy of ESPN.)

If you’re heartbroken that Wanderlei Silva won’t be competing at UFC 116 next Saturday due to injury, well, Yoshihiro Akiyama feels your pain. In fact, he’s so unimpressed by the idea of Chris Leben coming in as a replacement that he doesn’t even want to fight anymore. From daum.net via BloodyElbow:

"I am not pleased with the change. There are just ten days left until the contest for me to determine [Chris Leben’s] threats and the time is insufficient to establish a tailored gameplan. Leben is also not as high-profile as [Wanderlei] Silva and that does not help me."

"If there is to be a replacement I was hoping for a big name. 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."