Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami first squared off at the now-famous January 2006 Rumble on the Rock tournament that featured Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit as well. Their first encounter ended in a controversial disqualification win for Okami when Silva threw an illegal upkick while Yushin was down.
We will probably never know why it happened. Did Anderson not understand the rules? Did he do it on accident thinking the Pride rule system was being used? We may never know exactly what was going through his head on that day.
Either way, this fight marked the last loss for UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and it is one that he wants back.
Silva has more of a reason than usual to train hard. Fighters yearn to avenge their losses to prove they are the better man indeed. Silva is even more motivated due to the fact that he feels Okami could have continued in their first fight and chose to take the easy way out.
And if there’s one thing I know, an angry Anderson Silva is a scary man.