Chris Leben, one of the winners in the recent Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale cards, will replace injured Wanderlei Silva and fight Yoshihiro Akiyama as the co-headliner for UFC 116 next week.
Leben scored a second-round TKO of Aaron Simpson on Saturday, and if signed, his fight with Akiyama will take place after a mere 12-day layoff.
UFC 116 takes place July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Leben vs Akiyama would take second billing on the night’s pay-per-view broadcast behind a heavyweight title-unification bout between champ Brock Lesnar and interim title-holder Shane Carwin.
