In the middleweight bout between Leben and Akiyama, the former arguably produced the performance of his career by defeating Akiyama with still 20secs remaining on the clock. Believing he had secured a solid second-round victory, he left the Octagon. In 27 fights, only Anderson Silva has managed to knock Leben, yet, in Las Vegas, Akiyama came mightily close when he buckled The Crippler.

In October, Akiyama will be pitted against Britain’s Michael and the former is expected to headline UFC 120. Leben knows both men well. At UFC 89, Leben dropped a decision to Bisping. A record number on punches were landed on Leben by Bisping but it did not rock Leben. However, against the Japanese, the American admits he most definitely lost control of his senses.

Leben told The Daily Line, “Leaving the Octagon walking back, I turned to my coach, Burton Richardson, and said, ‘What was that, about halfway through the second round I finished him?”.

“He said, ‘No, Chris, you had about 20 seconds left in the third.’ That is a sign, definitely, I was rocked.

He added, “I really don’t remember a lot of the fight after the second round. It’s kind of a blur. I had a chance to go back and watch it yesterday, and definitely, my knees buckled, my legs gave, it was just one of those things where every time I get hit I wonder if I can hang on. I hung on, but he rocked me, for sure.”

Will he heed his warnings follow up at the UFC betting blog?

He admits that he is hoping to expose former boxing champion James Toney, who has been just itching for a chance to get in the Octagon. Toney debuted just under two months away and prove he is better than the best mixed martial artists.

Brock Lesnar, as UFC heavyweight champion joked with White at the UFC 116 post-fight press conference. White flipped the script, when Lesnar was brought into the promotion simply to be made an example.

He said with a laugh, “No, we’re going to make an example of James Toney.”

Facing Randy Couture for his first MMA fight, White knows that Toney is stepping into deep waters. Couture is a legend and UFC Hall of Famer, he is a multi-time champion of the UFC, but the UFC president knows that it’s a fight, and in a fight, anything can happen.

White stated that, “James Toney’s been an accomplished fighter for many years, and he’s training in mixed martial arts now. James Toney’s a real fighter. Listen, James and I go back and forth, he’s mad at me right now, and he’s going to be even more pissed off after what I just said. The reality is, I am not so delusional that I don’t think anything can happen when two big guys get in there and start throwing punches. I’m sure many of you that have been in the fight business for a long time, have seen some crazy things happen.”

At UFC 116, Toney attended, and met with reporters Saturday morning. White says that Toney is training right, has his weight down, and will be prepared for Aug. 28 and he is working full time to become a mixed martial artist.

“He’s going to try to knock out Randy Couture that night, it’s become this whole UFC vs. boxing thing. I said it before, and I’ll say it again, always yapping about people who do ‘freak shows,’ I’m doing one”, said White.

At UFC 118 in Boston, James Toney will face Randy Couture. On MMAWeekly Radio this Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, the on MMAWeekly Radio this Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. For more info check out the UFC betting blog.

For the injured Wanderlei Silva, Leben stepped in as a late replacement, making it two fights in three weeks for the middleweight knockout artist. At the TUF 11 Finale, Aaron Simpson was defeated by Leben. In the defeat, Simpson staggered across the Octagon before collapsing in a heap.

Having fought in DREAM and K-1, Akiyama, 13-1, has a big reputation and he initially stalled over taking the Leben fight. By winning the bout, the Japanese Judoka felt there was little to gain and he expressed his derision at being given such little time to change his training for a new opponent.

“I take it a little bit personal. The bottom line is he fights for the UFC. He signed to fight on this card. His opponent got hurt. Opponents get hurt. That goes with our industry. His job is to get in there and mix it up. For him to say that I’m not a worthy opponent kind of throws me off. I’ve got 10 wins in the UFC. He’s got one win by split decision over Alan Belcher. I don’t think that qualifies him as saying I’m not a worthy opponent,” said Leben.

When the UFC asked him to replace Silva, Leben also admitted that he wasn’t exactly in the best of professional states.

“When (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva called me up, it was Monday morning. Sunday I had a large pizza. I watched a movie, passed out, woke up with a couple of bumps and bruises, and I was already getting called to fight. My girlfriend told me, and I was like, ‘You’re joking me. You’re pulling my leg”, said Leben.

I don’t know if fighting again so soon will make it an easier bet on UFC 116 but it sure will make it more entertaining hopefully.

On July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with returning titleholder Brock Lesnar, Carwin will lock horns in an anticipated unification bout at UFC 116 “Lesnar vs. Carwin”.

In a teleconference, Carwin said, “If I touch anybody with my hands, I can knock him out. These are four-once gloves. Your margin for error is pretty small, especially being heavyweights”.

Carwin and his exploits are well documented, anchored at the Grudge Training Center in Colorado. The 35-year-old has finished five opponents in less than a minute and has never seen the second round. His longest to date is a three-minute-and-forty-eight-second outing against former heavyweight champion Frank Mir, which ended in a knockout.

“I’ve got a never-quit attitude; this is what I love to do. I am passionate about it. When I get in there, I want to fight. That’s how I look at it”, said Carwin.

He faces an uphill climb in Lesnar. At the University of Minnesota, the 6-foot-3, 265-pound South Dakota native was a four-time collegiate All-American wrestler. This is where he won a national championship as a heavyweight in 2000. In 2007, he transitioned successfully to MMA. After the transition, he carried a three-fight winning streak. In nearly a year, Lesnar has not competed because of life-threatening intestinal disorder in late 2009.

“Brock’s a big, talented, athletic heavyweight, those are rare to find. Those are the ones that push you to your limit. Every fight’s your biggest fight,” he said. “This is definitely the biggest fight of my career, but I don’t try to approach it any different. I think it’s a great time [for me to fight Lesnar]. It’s a challenge I look forward to”, said Carwin.