Yushin Okami looks to rebound off his recent loss to Anderson Silva when he returns to his homeland to face middleweight contender Tim Boetsch.
Despite his loss to Silva at UFC 134, Okami still is one of the top middleweight contenders in the division. Utilizing a strong wrestling base, Okami imposes his size on his opponents and also displays an improved stand-up game.
Winning three of his last five bouts, Okami will look to continue his success at 185 pounds and work his way back to a title shot.
In his second stint inside the Octagon, Boetsch is 3-1 since re-signing with the organization in 2009.
The 31-year-old recently moved down to the middleweight division and has been undefeated so far, with victories over respectable fighters like Kendall Grove and Nick Ring. Boetsch will hope to remain undefeated when he faces his next test in Okami.
Boetsch has fared well against the middleweight competition. However, he meets a big step-up in Okami.
Okami’s wrestling should prove to be the difference in this bout. He should look to take down his opponent and control him with his size and position.
Boetsch should fare well on his feet and mix up his attack to keep Okami hesitant about the takedown. But Okami should overwhelm him fairly easily with his superior grappling to earn the victory via unanimous decision.
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