The UFC confirmed last night that a middleweight matchup between knockout king Hector Lombard and perennial contender Yushin Okami has been added to the PRIDE fanboy circle-jerk that is UFC on FUEL 8: Silva vs. Stann, March 3rd in Saitama, Japan. Both fighters scored victories last month, with Lombard destroying fellow fireplug Rousimar Palhares in the first round of their match at UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson, and Okami (somewhat less impressively) earning a decision against Alan Belcher at UFC 155.
In keeping with the theme of UFC on FUEL 8′s main card — which will feature such legends as Wanderlei Silva, Takanori Gomi, and Mark Hunt — Lombard and Okami also competed for PRIDE early in their careers. Lombard lost decisions to Akihiro Gono and Gegard Mousasi under the PRIDE Bushido banner in 2006, while Okami submitted Steve White via strikes (at PRIDE The Best Vol.3 in 2002) and outpointed Ryuta Sakurai (at PRIDE Bushido 2 in 2004). Video proof is after the jump.
Though Michael Bisping might argue that he and Vitor Belfort are the only two middleweights worth a damn at the moment, another savage knockout performance from Lombard could place him in the proverbial “mix.” Your predictions for this one, please.
(Hector Lombard vs. Gegard Mousasi. Lenne Hardt absolutely kills it at 1:27-1:37.)
Yushin Okami vs. Steve White Pride The Best Vol.3 by goforkyourself