UFC
UFC QUOTABLES: Yoshihiro Akiyama isn't happy with the opponent change at UFC 116, threatens to pull out of the fight
Jun 24, 2010 - 9:38:18 AM UFC QUOTABLES: Yoshihiro Akiyama isn't happy with the opponent change at UFC 116, threatens to pull out of the fight

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"I am not pleased with the change. There are just ten days left until the contest for me to determine [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."

-Yoshihiro Akiyama talks to Korean blog Daum.net about his disappointment in the change in opponent at UFC 116 with Wanderlei Silva's injury, and hints he may pull out of the event. (Translated by Fighter's Only)

Penick's Analysis: Part of me understands Akiyama's frustration here, because Leben isn't as high profile as Wanderlei Silva, but it's not as if they're a vastly different fighter. Silva would have been quicker and had the threat of flurrying punches, and Leben is a south paw with one punch knockout power, but they're still primarily stand up fighters and Akiyama should have a similar strategy for either. Still, if Akiyama pulls out of this fight it will be a major blow to his standing with the UFC. He's not the star here in the U.S. that he was in Japan, not yet anyway, and he needs to take the fights put in front of him. Staying out an extra few months and waiting for a high profile fight would be a bad idea, and the UFC may not give him the fight he wants if he's not willing to stay on this card and help them out in a tight spot being that he's in the co-main event.

RELATED STORY: UFC NEWS: Wanderlei Silva says "my body made me stop this time"; knee injury and broken ribs forced him off UFC 116: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]