Chris Leben knew the opportunity to step up and replace an injured Wanderlei Silva against Yoshihiro Akiyama was just too big to refuse when the UFC came calling after his latest win.

The fact that the always scrappy Leben was willing to take the job when the UFC badly needed a fighter wasn't all that strange, but the timing makes the arrangement highly unusual.

"The Crippler" is coming off a Knockout of the Night performance in his victory over the previously undefeated Aaron Simpson at the Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale on June 19. After derailing the "A-Train" you might reasonably expect Leben to take a good rest in preparation for his next fight, but his newly scheduled match with Akiyama will give him a mere two weeks to recover.

For Leben, the decision to take the plunge and face the very dangerous Akiyama on such short notice wasn't that hard at all.

"The UFC called me and they said Wanderlei was hurt and they want me to fight Akiyama," Leben told BJPenn.com. "You know, I had a great showing on Saturday night, I left Vegas early, didn't go out and party, hopped on the first flight home and I got the call the next day. I figured, 'Hey, I'm still in great shape, I'm not hurt, a couple bumps and bruises but nothing bad.' With this opportunity, there was just no way I could turn down this opportunity it's just huge."

Leben (20-6) is no stranger to headline fights in the UFC, but his bout with Akiyama (13-1 2 NC) will mark his biggest opportunity since losing a decision to Michael Bisping at UFC 89 back in 2008. The importance of the offer was not lost on "The Crippler."

"At first I said no because I woke up in the morning, my phone was ringing and I was sore and it doesn't make sense to take a fight when you're not prepared and training for it," Leben admitted. "But then as I thought about it, you know, I'm a fighter, this is what I do. Why would I not take a great opportunity? It would be stupid of me. Not to mention that but I want to be a company man with the UFC, I want them to be happy with me."

Akiyama, a former Asian judo champion, is currently riding a 14-fight undefeated streak in MMA competition, but has only a single UFC fight to his credit, a split decision win over Alan Belcher at UFC 100. Leben is not overly impressed with his resume.

"I don't know a ton about Akiyama," Leben stated. "My coach knows a bunch, but we haven't even had a chance to talk much about our game plan. I saw him fight Alan Belcher and to be honest with you, I thought he lost that fight. He's a good Judo guy, he's got great Judo, fast kicks, maybe not the most power in the world. He's a little bit shorter than me but he's a good strong guy. I think that utilizing my skills, keeping it on the feet and clubbing him in the head with my left shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Leben vs. Akiyama will now be the co-main event at UFC 116, which also features the highly-anticipated return of UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar in his title defense against interim heavyweight champ Shane Carwin.

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 116 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!