UFC
UFC QUOTABLES: Chris Leben says he thought his submission victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama happened in the second round at UFC 116
Jul 14, 2010 - 7:22:59 PM UFC QUOTABLES: Chris Leben says he thought his submission victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama happened in the second round at UFC 116

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"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's a sign, definitely, I was rocked. 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."

-Chris Leben talks to Ariel Helwani on Versus program "The Daily Line" on Tuesday about his UFC 116 victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama.

Penick's Analysis: The fact that he was clearly that out of it makes this one all the more impressive. Having his wits and instincts about him enough to slap on the triangle choke when he was rocked majorly before that third and final round is crazy, and it just goes to show the type of fighter Chris Leben is. As Joe Rogan was saying on commentary, he looked like a zombie in the second round, both fighters did. They each landed some really hard punches that put them both in a bad spot. Leben happened to go back to instinct when it counted and capped off the best two weeks of his career.

RELATED STORY: UFC NEWS: Chris Leben discusses his victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama, wants to coach The Ultimate Fighter opposite Wanderlei Silva: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]