As UFC 134 draws closer, much attention has been given to the past history between UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami, who will square off in the main event on Saturday.
Five years ago, both fighters faced each other at Rumble on the Rock 8 in the opening round of the welterweight tournament.
The fight, as seen in full in the video above, ended in incredible fashion, despite the apparent victor taking the loss.
For the entire fight, Silva dominated the stand-up, landing crisp punch combinations and solid leg kicks while stuffing Okami’s take downs.
Okami repeatedly shot in, but after being stuffed, attempted to pull guard only to be hit with more kicks to his legs.
In the middle of the round, Okami successfully got a hold of Silva and was able to complete a take down, only to find himself in danger in Silva’s guard.
After standing up to attempt a pass, Okami was hit with a hard kick to the midsection. However, it was a swing of a leg, similar to an outside-inside crescent kick, that would render the Japanese fighter unconscious, forcing the referee to call a stop to the match.
The bout was ruled a disqualification loss for Silva because it appeared that Okami was still on his knees when the kick was delivered.
Now, five years later, these two men will face each other once again on the biggest stage in MMA.
Okami has been steamrolling through opponents since joining the UFC in 2006.
Holding notable wins over Mike Swick, Mark Munoz and Nate Marquardt, Okami has finally earned himself a shot at the title and a chance to validate the win he already holds against the champion.
For Anderson Silva, a win will only further solidify his standing as the pound-for-pound king and possibly the greatest fighter of all time. Now that Okami trains with Chael Sonnen, Silva has even more reason to be motivated for this fight and redeem his last loss.
Expect fireworks when these two middleweights face off this Saturday to clear up their past and see who deserves to be called the UFC Middleweight champion.
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