Just days after knocking out Aaron Simpson at Saturday’s The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale, middleweight veteran Chris Leben has agreed to replace an injured Wanderlei Silva and will face Yoshihiro Akiyama in the co-main event of UFC 116 on July 3 in Las Vegas, according to MMAjunkie.

Leben (20-6) earned “Knockout of the Night” honors for his second-round TKO of Simpson on the main card of the TUF 11 Finale in Las Vegas and was not among the event’s 13 fighters issued medical suspensions, allowing “The Crippler” to look for his third-straight win just two weeks after his last fight.

Akiyama (13-1) topped Alan Belcher by split decision in his UFC debut last July to improve to 13-1 and remain unbeaten since 2005.

UFC 116 is headlined by the return of heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar vs. interim title-holder Shane Carwin.

For the latest UFC 116 news, including UFC 116 results on July 3, stay tuned to ufcnews.info.