According to sherdog, Akiyama has pulled out of UFC 128 due to the earthquake/tsunami in Japan. It is reported that he and his family are okay, but I guess it is hard to find a place to train when your entire country moves 10 feet to the east. Dan Miller will step up from the preliminaries to take on Marquardt. Big step up in competition there for Miller. I give him props for stepping up on such short notice, especially against a guy as good as Marquardt. Sherdog article below...
Citing the recent disaster in Japan, the UFC announced early Saturday morning that Japanese middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama has pulled out of his UFC 128 bout with Nate Marquardt.
Marshall Zelaznik, managing director of international development for the UFC, stated that Akiyama and his family are safe on his Twitter page.
Already scheduled to participate on the card opposite Nick Catone, AMA Fight Club representative Dan Miller (13-4, 1 NC) will step in to face Marquardt on the pay-per-view portion of the bill. It is currently unknown if the UFC will find an opponent for Catone.
“New Jersey native Dan Miller proves once again that he will fight anyone, anywhere, any time by agreeing to step up from the prelims to face Nate Marquardt,” stated UFC President Dana White in a statement. “Marquardt has long been a top 10 ranked middleweight and Miller jumped at the opportunity to face him.”
Miller is 5-3 in the UFC, and has won two straight. The 29-year-old last saw action in a split-decision win against Joe Doerksen at UFC 124. His brother, lightweight contender Jim Miller, is also scheduled for action at UFC 128. The younger Miller, 27, will battle undefeated prospect Kamal Shalorus.
UFC 128 will go down from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and will air live on PPV at 10 p.m. ET. Spike TV will carry two preliminary contests at 9 p.m. ET, and Facebook will stream an additional two bouts at 8 p.m. ET.
http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Akiyama-Out-Miller-in-Against-Marquardt-at-UFC-128-30798
