Yoshihiro Akiyama Un-Happy, May Not Fight Leben At UFC 116?
by Kelvin Hunt on Jun 24, 2010 10:29 AM EDT
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From Fighters Only 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."
While the injury to Wanderlei Silva does suck on many levels, specifically because Akiyama chose to sit out for a year just to fight Silva. That's the gamble he took and it didn't pay off unfortunately. For him to complain about having Chris Leben as an opponent is childish, not to mention him citing gameplanning as a problem. No matter who they find as a replacement, he would find time insufficient to establish a tailored gameplan. All the other top fighters are tied up with scheduled fights or not in the UFC. He should take the fight with Leben as stylistically it could be just as exciting as the Silva match up, and while Leben isn't as popular worldwide, he isn't some nobody in either.
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yo
do yall think Akiyama feels like there is a real possibility he could get KTFO against Leben..who he views as a lesser opponent…which is why he doesn’t want this fight? Discuss.
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i think he knows there’s a risk (however small or great, its there…) and is basically outlining a case of this fight being “high” risk, low reward. Quite simply the risk outweighs the reward, in his estimation i would take from this…. I’m not so sure the company will look to happily upon this though as he isn’t really playing ball like Leben was in stepping in (regardless of his right to decline it…).
How many people were looking forward to this card to see him fight again? I was. If he doesnt fight on it, surely gonna be some pissed fans and especially foreign ones! COuld it be he’s playing games for that extra bread too?
"Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive." ~ George Way
by RearNakedPoke on Jun 24, 2010 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
Honestly I see where he's coming form about a lesser known opponent ,
but get the fuck outta here. Leben is very popular stateside( I’d say more so than Akiyama) and always has exciting fights also he’s on a two fight win streak Wandy can’t say that. I think he doesn’t like the match up personally, if I were Akiyama I’d be worried about getting knocked out.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions
wouldn’t have known/thought that (but there ya go…)… i still think its for that bread baby!!
the match up don’t faze son…not one bit imo
"Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive." ~ George Way
by RearNakedPoke on Jun 24, 2010 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions
So what is he gonna make more money by not fighting, I don't think so.
If the guy is just trying to get a raise more power to him.( I’d pull the same shit if I could but unfortunately around my work I’m not much of a draw) But to actually back out of the fight because he doesn’t think Leben is good enough motivation to fight is bullshit.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions
its all talk.
he sure as shit aint gonna back out imo, but can/does Dana take that chance?! i dont think so, i think he makes it financially worth his while (if it wasnt already) and also blacklists him as an asshole :)
The Leben talk is, well, just that, talk! There’s some truth to it but no way near enough to justify backing out as you so rightly point out…my “smart” money (pun very much intended) is on Sexyama getting some extra sexy bread for his self and more power to him!!
"Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive." ~ George Way
by RearNakedPoke on Jun 24, 2010 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I've always been a big fan of Leben,
I feel for the guy I was/am a fucking weirdo myself and used to get into lots of fights because people thought I was a target similar to what happened on TUF for him. To this day I don’t like Kos because of the first season of TUF. So I’m a defendor of the guy. But this is all prolly bullshit anyway they will fight and Akiyama will get paid.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions
they will fight and Akiyama will get paid
ooooh you betcha :)
"Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive." ~ George Way
by RearNakedPoke on Jun 24, 2010 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions
i rather him fight w. silva b/c i was 90% sure he would knock akiyama out.
i personally liked what he said about leben. maybe leben will take this in the right way(take it personally) and knock him out.
I'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. Craig Thompson just might end up being a savvy guy if he gets the MWC to 12 teams. The University of Utah starts in the Pac-Ten in 2011. Now remember, when things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean, I mean plumb, mad dog mean. cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live or win. That's just the way it is. "The Outlaw Josey Wales". To protect the sheep you gotta catch the wolf, and it takes a wolf to catch a wolf. "Training Day". Rashad will beat Rua b/c he is a far superior wrestler and a bad matchup for him. 2/1 odds. Josh Koscheck will dethrone Gsp and win the welterweight title. Last man to win a round vs Gsp. 2.9/1 odds on that too. Peace.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Jun 24, 2010 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Hate to say it but in this case, I agree with Sex
- A win over Wandy means a lot more. He can look back when he’s retired and savor such a victory. A win over Leben on the other hand? Not so much.
-Sexyama is from Japan where Wanderlei once ruled the roost.
-He’s fighting not because he needs to but because he wants to. Big name opponents are the only ones worth facing at this point in his career.
-Leben vs Silva… We’re talking about a redhead, TUF nutjob, caught juicing vs a legend of the sport.
I’d be disappointed too with such a downgrade.
wanderlei ::: shogun ::: bj penn ::: fedor
by cauliflower_ears on Jun 24, 2010 11:56 AM EDT reply actions
Dude, when you leave the "yama" off of Sexyama, it sounds really creepy
But yeah, spot on
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If I were Akiyama I would look at it this way,
UFC 100 vs Belcher was the best fight on the biggest card ever. UFC 116 is by all accounts I’ve heard gonna do huge numbers, he’s fighting another name opponent that he’s favoured against. If he wins this fight it’s just more people adding to his fan base and makes him a bigger draw. He’s already a huge draw overseas and if he can increase his American fan base it will help him in the long run. Also with the MW division the way it is right now a win would put him pretty close to a title shot and I’d trade one Silva for another. And if any of you disagree about the title shot, Dana will say it if Akiyama wins the fight.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions
That post from Dr. Cox is the worst thing I've ever seen.
Also, this isn’t surprising. Akiyama didn’t sign with the UFC for small potatoes fights and that’s the main reason it took him a year to fight again. He’s worth a lot of money and fighting Chris Leben won’t make him much money in Japan.
I'm no expert but I would imagine he wouldn't loose that much money with this fight.
I don’t really like how he came out and said he is having trouble getting motivated for this fight it just seems disrespectful. And big name middle weights are few and far between, unless he plans on waiting until Wandy can fight the only " big name" out there is Vitor and who knows how he’ll get that fight since Dana seems resistant to give him a fight short of the title. And yeah Dr. Cox seems to have some deep seeded hate going on there.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Yea
But…what’s he going to do….wait another 7-8 months until Wandy can fight? There is no other fighter than can help him in Japan like Wandy could…so he should just take this fight and be done with it…that’s all I’m saying.
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oh..I agree
don’t get it twisted…hell…I got an email for something I wrote yesterday….
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"Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive." ~ George Way
by RearNakedPoke on Jun 24, 2010 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
damn.
i missed it… post it again?! surely?!
lol
"Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive." ~ George Way
by RearNakedPoke on Jun 24, 2010 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions
So repressed WWII stuff funny kinda, in bad taste for sure.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions
haha
excellent. i always do enjoy a bit of mischief ;)
sorry Kelvin, i mean boo that man! lol
"Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive." ~ George Way
by RearNakedPoke on Jun 24, 2010 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s an issue of leverage, and I’m sure the Sexy thinks he has a ton of it here. He may be right.
—The UFC needs Akiyama more than they need him. He’s the flagship for whatever east-Asian expansion they want to do in the next few years. He could just as well leave the UFC, go to Japan/Korea, and print money for himself.
—Leben is an iron-jawed slugger. The worst part is, he’s a lefty. Akiyama is a solid technical boxer, but a southpaw is gonna throw all kinds of wack into his approach. It’s probably a riskier fight for him, while at the same time the victory doesn’t do much to get him over in the States or in Japan aside from general air-time.
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
The UFC needs Akiyama more than they need him. He’s the flagship for whatever east-Asian expansion they want to do in the next few years.
I disagree. Dude will be 35 next month…hell it may be another 1-3 years before the UFC goes to Asia…at that point…he’ll be pretty much done…both are disposable to one another.
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?
look what they’re doing with CroCop in new markets….they gonna sell son like he’s the shit!!!
don’t matter what mitigates against him, he got the UFC hype machine backing up his ass!
[god that sounds so wrong haha….]
"Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive." ~ George Way
by RearNakedPoke on Jun 24, 2010 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
It's not a hard 35, though
After UFC 100 I went back and watched a ton of his old fights. He doesn’t have half the miles someone younger like Wanderlei or Nogueira does. Anderson Silva is the same age as Akiyama and probably has comparable “MMA miles” on him.
This window is the next 2 years, during which he’ll remain a star and still be a top competitor. I feel like they stick him and Wandy on these cards with monsters like Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin more to draw attention to those guys, maybe to strike gold in a Bob Sapp sort of way. He’s being used as bait for Japan/Korea markets.
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 24, 2010 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions
It's a pretty hard 35.
I don’t know a ton of guys who have had their face broken twice and competed on the international judo circuit for about 10 years.
by Forrest Lynn on Jun 24, 2010 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Nah man.
I only know of the broken orbital during the Belcher fight. He’s only really been “busted up” by Belcher in the past five years… once he tasted Manhoef’s power/Manhoef slammed him, he said fuck it and went for the armbar real quick. He pretty much ran through Hero’s unscathed.
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 24, 2010 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Misaki broke his nose and his orbital bone.
by Forrest Lynn on Jun 24, 2010 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions
ok
never saw that yarrenoka fight. watching it now…
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 24, 2010 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions
It's riskier for sure
But, the casual American fan has no idea who this cat is except they might remember him as that guy that got his face broken at UFC 100. I’ve got no business telling the dude how to live his life or do his job for that matter , but as a fan of both fighters (more so Leben) I think the guy needs this fight or risk fading, in the UFC that is.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions
And Rob
if being a huge draw in Asia is so great what’s he doing over here anyway?
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
The UFC will cater to him
They’re using him to gain a footprint in Japan and Korea. He’s a superstar fighter and he will be treated as such. “UFC going to Asia” to run shows is not the aim, it’s opening those markets for TV and media. They are bending over backwards to appease the Asian market and Akiyama is by far the biggest Asian star they have ever employed. They paid him a very big signing bonus and got in a pretty cutthroat bidding war with FEG for his services.
Akiyama’s mad because he went from fighting the 2nd or 3rd most famous fighter in the history of his country to fighting a total nobody. He wants more money to offset the sponsorship dollars and media coverage he’s going to lose from this. This is all posturing. UFC will sweeten the pot somehow and he’ll fight.
by Forrest Lynn on Jun 24, 2010 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I wouldn't go as far as to call Chris a nobody, I mean maybe in Japan.
I’ll tell you what though if Leben had fought in Pride the Japanese market would have loved the guy. This is just a good excuse to get all riled up i guess.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Japan wouldn't have ever cared about Chris Leben
by Forrest Lynn on Jun 24, 2010 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
The hate is strong in this one.
"Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive." ~ George Way
by RearNakedPoke on Jun 24, 2010 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
How can you say that?
He’s just the type of fighter that flourished in Pride popularity.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I appreciate your smugness but please humor me.
Why is he not a fighter that would have gained a following in Pride?
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm guessing because he's a Korean pretending to be Japanese
And don’t the Japanese have something against Koreans? Or am I thinking of another rivalry over there?
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I thought Akiyama was a Japanese pretending to be Korean
since he fought for Korea in the Asian Judo championships
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 24, 2010 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Leben would be about the equivalent of a 2005-era Heath Herring
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
by Anthony Pace on Jun 24, 2010 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions
That's about how I see it
Except with good wrestling, and decapitating power. So like, he’d be successful, but not necesarily popular. I don’t seem to remember the Pride fans gravitating towards a lot of Americans.
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Don Frye.
They loved him for basically one fight against a guy that I don’t think ever won a fight.
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 25, 2010 8:47 AM EDT up reply actions
Wiki says Japanese and competed for South Korea once
Ride the Tiger!
by doonerthesooner on Jun 24, 2010 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Also according to Wiki:
He is a fourth-generation Zainichi Korean (An ethnic Korean residing in Japan) and acquired Japanese nationality in 2001.
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This is all posturing. UFC will sweeten the pot somehow and he’ll fight.
This…but he’s still being childish about it…
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He's being smart.
He’s older, like you said, and the shelf life of a fighter is very limited. Not trying to bleed as much money from a promoter as possible is a huge mistake if you’re in the position to do it.
by Forrest Lynn on Jun 24, 2010 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Yea
My biggest problem is what he said about having enough time to gameplan. I mean…it’s not like Leben is some 10 dimensional wizard….just elude wild bombs and footstomps…get 3 takedowns and get the W.
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