With a shot at the UFC middleweight title on the line, UFC fighters have come out with their predictions for the upcoming bout between UFC 122 headliners Nate “The Great” Marquardt (30-9-2) and Yushin Okami (25-5).
UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami is set for this Saturday, November 13th, at the König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. The event will air on tape delay Saturday night on Spike TV at 9PM EST (6PM PST).
Anderson Silva, UFC Middleweight Champion
“This is a very closely matched fight; both competitors are well rounded and could win by strikes or submission. I can’t pick a winner. With a shot at the UFC title for the winner, I am obviously very interested to see who wins. I am excited to see who wins but no matter who it is, I look forward to defending my UFC Middleweight title against him in the New Year.”Wanderlei Silva, UFC Middleweight Contender, former PRIDE Middleweight Champion
“I think this is going to be a good fight between Marquardt and Okami. Okami is very strong and tough on the ground. Marquardt’s good on the ground too, but I think Marquardt is a more complete fighter. He has good hands and I think this is going to be the difference.”Chris Leben, UFC Middleweight
“People may think it is a little weird because I fight nothing like either of them, but these are two of my favourite fighters in the middleweight division. I love watching them fight. I think Nate Marquardt is probably a little more rounded, and he’s on the top of his game right now. But Yushin Okami is great with his takedowns and on the ground and hits hard too. I really can’t pick a winner, but I think Okami’s size will be a big factor if it goes to the third round.”
Check out the rest of UFC fighter predictions at UFC.com.