Sam Caplan is breaking a lot of stories lately on his ProElite blog and here is one more.

Chris Leban will be fighting at UFC 82 on March 1 in Columbus, Ohio against fellow middleweight Alessio Sakara. Sam confirmed this news through Leben’s management.

“Yes, we fight Sakara in Columbus.” said manager T. Jay Thompson when contacted for comment via e-mail.

Sakara, 12-6, last competed at UFC 80 on January 19, where he disposed of former PRIDE competitor James Lee at 1:30 of round 1 via TKO due to strikes. UFC 82 will mark his first fight since dropping from light heavyweight to middleweight.

Leben is 17-4 overall and 7-3 lifetime in the UFC. He last competed at UFC Fight Night 11 in September, recording a third round knockout victory over Terry Martin.

Leben has recorded notable wins in the UFC over the likes of Jorge Rivera and Patrick Cote and also holds victories over Mike Swick and Benji Radach in fights contested outside of the UFC.