Yoshihiro Akiyama
A bout between Chael Sonnen and Yoshihiro Akiyama was briefly reported but Sonnen pleaded guilty to federal charges of money laundering and had his contract placed on hold by the UFC. Nate Marquardt was then signed to compete against Akiyama. However, on March 12, it was announced that Yoshihiro Akiyama had to pull out of his fight with Nate Marquardt due to the tragedy in Japan. Dana White then announced via Twitter that Dan Miller would be stepping up from the preliminary fights to replace Akiyama on the main card. Miller's original opponent Nick Catone instead faced UFC newcomer Costas Philippou in a 195-pound catchweight bout.