Breaking News | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Yushin Okami Vows to Take Away Anderson Silva’s Aura at UFC 134

What does it take to beat a guy like Anderson Silva? The favored answer would be a strong, aggressive wrestler with great submission defense. Despite being overlooked, these are the exact same qualities possessed by UFC middleweight contender Yushin Ok…

What does it take to beat a guy like Anderson Silva?

The favored answer would be a strong, aggressive wrestler with great submission defense. Despite being overlooked, these are the exact same qualities possessed by UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami.

On August 27, Okami will finally get his long-awaited title bout in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at UFC 134 against arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, Anderson Silva.

“I will guarantee that [Anderson] will not be bored when fighting me,” Okami told MMAFighting.com in an email interview.

Silva’s dominant middleweight reign is legendary. Since defeating Rich Franklin for the UFC title in October 2006, he has successfully defended his throne a record eight times inside the octagon.

Most consider Silva to be one of the greatest fighters of all time. His ability to make some of the best fighters in the world look mediocre is nothing short of astonishing. At times, he even seems bored inside the octagon, which has led to questionable tactics in the past––such as hiding behind the ref, helping up a downed opponent during a fight, and busting out awkward gestures and dance-like movements.

Silva meets a familiar foe in Okami. The two went toe to toe in January 2006 at Rumble on the Rock 8, where Okami earned the victory after Silva was disqualified for an illegal upkick. The fight was stopped when a wobbled Okami wasn’t able to continue.

Silva wasn’t too happy about the way the fight went, and he even went on record to say that Okami could’ve continued but simply chose not to.

“It doesn’t matter what he thinks,” Okami said. “All I think about is defeating Anderson.”

Okami certainly has the style to present a legitimate threat to Silva’s reign. At UFC 117, Silva was completely outclassed by challenger Chael Sonnen for five rounds, but he was able to latch on a last minute triangle choke in the fifth round to retain his middleweight title.

Sonnen pushed the action on the feet throughout and secured takedown after takedown. Okami is a similar fighter with superior submission defense, and he should be able to take a page or two out of Sonnen’s book.

“Of course, Chael’s fight does give me some hints, but I am a different person, and therefore it will be a different fight,” Okami stated.

Born in Kanagwa, Japan, Okami hopes to boost the morale of a nation devastated by tragedy. The American success rate for Japanese fighters hasn’t been very good, but the statistics don’t seem to apply to Okami, who is a perennial contender and one of the top middleweights in the world.

“Winning the championship will be proof that an Asian can stand on top of the heavyweight contact sports world,” said Okami. “I believe that can also give strength to everyone in Japan and Asia. I hope the people of Japan will feel joy by seeing me become the champion.”

Okami is coming off two significant wins over Nate Marquardt and Mark Munoz, and his confidence level is through the roof. Fans are clamoring for a superfight between Silva and Georges St-Pierre, but it would be downright foolish to underestimate Okami’s chances.

He has the style to beat Silva, but can he get the job done?

“[Anderson’s] got an aura that intimidates any opponent,” said Okami. “I’m going to take that aura away from him.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: Interview with UFC Rising Prospect Daniel “Danny Boy” Downes

“Danny Boy” Downes is a young, hungry up-and-coming fighting out of the Roufusport camp in Wisconsin. The 25-year-old fighter was born in Chicago and moved to Wisconsin after college to train and pursue a career as a mixed martial arti…

“Danny Boy” Downes is a young, hungry up-and-coming fighting out of the Roufusport camp in Wisconsin.

The 25-year-old fighter was born in Chicago and moved to Wisconsin after college to train and pursue a career as a mixed martial artist. Downes fought twice in the WEC before that company was absorbed in the UFC last winter.

He headlines the North American Fighting Championship’s Mayhem event in Milwaukee on Friday May 6 while waiting to get a shot at fighting in the big show.

Q: Where did you get the Danny Boy nickname?

A: At the gym, I was always the skinny Irish kid. That’s where that came from. I’m not a natural athlete by any means, so I’ve gotten to this point with hard work and toughness, and I’m scrappy kinda like Mickey Ward almost. So that’s how the Danny Boy thing came about. I’m a hard-nosed scrappy type.

Q: You fight at lightweight, and I noticed you are 6-feet tall. Is that a natural weight for you or do you cut to get down to 155?

A: I have to cut. I just have a thinner frame. So I think lightweight is the best weight for me to train at. As I get older, I’m only 25 now, I may move to welterweight. I think right now lightweight is the best for me especially because I usually have a height advantage. I don’t think you will ever see me going to featherweight or below. I know that guys like George Roop do it but I already have to cut to make 155 so that is not for me.

Q: I see you train at Duke Roufus’ gym. Who else besides Pat Barry trains there?

A: It’s me, Pat Barry, Anthony Pettis, Eric Cope. Alan Belcher comes in from time to time, and we also just got Ben Askren. We got a bunch of up-and-coming guys that people haven’t heard of. It’s really grown. There was a time for a while a few years ago when it was just me a couple other guys fighting and goin’ so it was kinda hard. It’s different now, and it’s fun to have guys like Anthony and Eric on that high level which makes everyone better.

Q: I was reading that Pat was pretty down after his last fight because he couldn’t put Beltran away. Has he gotten past that?

A: It’s what they say with baseball hitters how they have to have a short memory. It’s the same way with fighters. Everyone wants to finish fights but let it bother you. He can’t worry about Joey Beltran when he has Cheick Kongo coming up in June. He’s already forgotten about it. You gotta have that short memory. You can’t let setbacks drag you down. You just gotta go on to the next one.

Q: Your record is 7-1. Was that loss early in your career or was that recently?

A: It was at WEC 49 against Chris Horodecki. I got a call on that Tuesday from my manager and he asked me where what my weight was at. And I was thinking I probably have a fight coming up on short notice. I figured it was local Wisconsin fight or something and he asked me if I was to fight Chris Horodecki in Edmonton on the WEC card. The only problem was I was kinda out of shape. I’d been drinking and a few things like that and had let myself go a bit. I was like 178 on Tuesday and made 156 on Saturday. I fought Chris Horodecki in front of however many thousand people on Versus. I didn’t perform that well but it got my foot in the door and then I got that win against Zhang in my next fight last December at WEC 53. Now I got the UFC contract and we’ll see what happens next.

Q: So you are headlining the NAFC Mayhem card correct?

A: Yes.

Q: When I was looking it up it said to be announced. Do you know who you are fighting yet?

A: Yea. I fighting a guy named Tory Bogguess. I don’t really know that much about him. You can’t get too bogged down with the little details. I don’t have any recent film on the guy but you can’t worry about that you just got to go out there and perform regardless that is my job. Even in my last fight against Zhang at WEC 53 I watched a lot of tape, but fight went the exact opposite of my gameplan. That’s why in MMA you’ve got to train everything. You try to pigeon hole yourself into any one thing.

Q: Are you more comfortable standing or do you train everything equally?

A: When I started, I was a strike first and then we’ll see what happens on the ground. But, now I’ve changed. GSP is a perfect example of what the modern MMA fighter needs to be. He is great at everything. By being good it opens up a lot of other things. By having good wrestling or jiu jitsu, it opens up my striking and makes it better. The days of the one dimensional MMA fighter is over. Everybody is getting good at everything.

Q: Do you ever travel to a different gym or try out any other schools? I know that guys do that a lot these days.

A: It’s been really nice with the success of our gym. Guys come in and we get new people a lot. I haven’t had to leave. These days they want to train at our gym so it’s like they come to me. The gym has really exploded and we have some new instructors so it’s been really good. You can’t get stale or do the same thing. One you get bored and two you don’t get better. You gotta keep it fresh and keep getting better.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Rio: Ben Rothwell’s Return and Rumored Opponent

According to a report on MMA Mania, Ben Rothwell will be returning to action this August at UFC: Rio. He is rumored to have two possible opponents as well, Brendan Schaub and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.If Rothwell fights at UFC: Rio, it would be hi…

If Rothwell fights at UFC: Rio, it would be his first fight in over a year. Rothwell will look to build on his last fight that saw him claim a unanimous decision victory over Gilbert Yvel.

The fight was considered lackluster by many fans, and even Rothwell said he was not pleased with his performance.

In his UFC debut, Rothwell faced Cain Velaquez. That bout saw Rothwell dominated by Velaquez, and the referee stopped the action in the second round giving Rothwell the TKO defeat.

Brendan Schaub is 8-1 with only one fight going the distance. He is currently on a four-fight win streak in the UFC, after being knocked out by Roy Nelson in the Ultimate Fighter 10 finale. That loss resulted in Nelson winning the season and Schaub finishing as the runner up.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria has not fought since suffering a first-round knockout at the hands of Cain Velasquez in February 2010. The reason for the long layoff is a string of surgeries.

First, was a knee surgery to reconstruct his ACL, followed by two hip surgeries. Nogueria has said that he hopes to begin training again in May and be ready to fight when UFC: Rio arrives in August. If he does fight on the card, it will be his first fight in his career in his homeland.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 130: Roy Nelson Talks UFC Fan Expo, Mullets and Frank Mir

MMA H.E.A.T.’s Kayrn Bryant caught up with “Big Country” Roy Nelson at the UFC Fan Expo in Toronto for a quick Q&A session regarding his upcoming heavyweight fight with Frank Mir at UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard III and the secret to…

After almost a year of waiting for his next fight, “Big Country” makes his first octagon appearance since his fight with Junior Dos Santos in August of 2010.

Nelson engaged in a heavy-handed brawl with the TUF 13 coach, which he lost via unanimous decision but has nothing to be ashamed of.

Along with Dos Santos, Nelson put on the kind of show that both fans and UFC President, Dana White like to see and his fight before last, Nelson won the KO of the Night bonus against Stefan Struve.

On May 28, 2011, Nelson will take on former two-time UFC heavyweight, Frank Mir in a fight that many are looking forward to after Mir’s lackluster, knock-out performance against Mirko “CroCop” Filipović.

Bryant mentioned Nelson being a down to earth guy who is very “relatable” to which Nelson replied, “We all put our pants on the same way.”

She then asked Nelson what his answer is when people say that he doesn’t “look like a fighter.”

“I’m not wearing a football jersey or baseball jersey. That’s usually the look,” was Nelson’s response.

Some speculate that Nelson’s power is in his hair, much like the biblical figure, Samson.

According to Nelson, it’s all in the preparation and styling of his “spectacular” plumage. “It’s just good shampoo…a couple of combs a day. It’s just got to be healthy.”

Nelson’s mullet is healthy indeed. It looks like he’s grown it a few extra inches since his last fight. “It’s business in the front and all party in the back,” he said.

Nelson said that he enjoys “giving back to the fans” at the UFC Fan Expos. “They’re the ones that actually make our sport; no fans, no sport.”

Bryant asked Nelson if he and his upcoming opponent were “friendly.” Nelson said, that he and Mir have known each other for 11 years, that Mir and his wife come over for visits and they “talk all the time.” He even had Mir autograph a picture for him.

Nelson says that this is not a fight he especially wants, being that he and Mir are long time buddies. He compared their friendship and the fight to Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans with Nelson being Rashad and Mir being Jones.

Make sure to check back with BleacherReport.com/mma for more UFC 130: Egdar vs. Maynard III fight card news and live coverage.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 129 Results: Could Mark Hominick Get Another Title Shot with a Couple Wins?

At UFC 129, Mark Hominick gave Jose Aldo a run for his money even with a hematoma on his head. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to grasp the UFC featherweight title from Aldo.Hominick though, may get another crack at the featherweight title with a cou…

At UFC 129, Mark Hominick gave Jose Aldo a run for his money even with a hematoma on his head. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to grasp the UFC featherweight title from Aldo.

Hominick though, may get another crack at the featherweight title with a couple more wins under his belt after he impressed the UFC with his UFC 129 performance.

“Oh, they were thrilled. They were like, ‘Heal up and we want you back as soon as you can. In another two fights you will get another crack at the title,’” Hominick told The Fan 590 Radio on Monday. “I know some of the things I have to work on to take him out. I don’t think he would be lining up to fight me to tell you the honest truth.”

Hominick took the fight to Aldo and in the fifth round made an impressive comeback to try and sway the judges in his favor. Hominick though lost to Aldo by unanimous decision and is now out for a little bit while he heals.

Hominick’s performance took place at home in Canada in front of 50,000 at Roger Centre in Toronto.

“It was just a constant stream [of cheering], that’s what I was hearing. It just made me try that much harder. I think I proved there is no quit in me,” Hominick said. “I know I was supposed to go in there and I wasn’t supposed to make it out of the first round, but I was just trying to finish him. I wanted that belt so bad.”

Now, though, Hominick must move on from his great performance last Saturday night and find a new opponent.

“[I’m going to] just take [on] a guy who’s maybe coming off of a win because I’m still in contention. I don’t think that fight puts me on the bottom of the pile. I’m still up there with the performance I put in,” Hominick said. “Jose Aldo hasn’t lost in five years. He’s never been in any type of trouble in any of his fights and I almost finished him. I took him to his limits. People know that I’m for real and I just have to go out there and prove it again.

“Honestly, I think 30 seconds more and I could have finished the fight. I wasn’t stopping and he was fading. But again, the bell rang and he won, so I have to go back to the drawing board and come back stronger.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Anderson Silva Is Big Pimpin’ in His New Customized Camaro SS

Bleacher Report’s Jason Schielke:”It’s good to be king”—Tom PettyWhen you’re sporting a new sled like UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva is, it sure is good to be the king.Silva has joined UFC hall of fame member Randy Couture by purchasing a ne…

Bleacher Report’s Jason Schielke:

“It’s good to be king”—Tom Petty

When you’re sporting a new sled like UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva is, it sure is good to be the king.

Silva has joined UFC hall of fame member Randy Couture by purchasing a new Camaro SS. But this isn’t just any normal Camaro—this baby is tricked out like none other.

All the customizations done to this car are far too many to list. Thankfully, someone from the Camaro5.com forums took the time to break down everything West Coast Customs did to make the Camaro a one-of-a-kind for the “Spider.”

“The customization of Silva’s Camaro is extensive and to our eyes includes: custom paint, black stripes running from hood to tail, widened rear quarter fenders/shoulders with functional open rear quarter fender openings, Silva Bee grill emblem, Silva Bee embroidered headrest, back seats, trunk lid liner, and floormats, custom black spoke / yellow lip wheels, custom functional Transformers 2 style bumper air inlets, custom cowl ram air hood, custom, custom rear diffuser with exhaust outlet, black painted rear light bezel, SILVA door sills, alcantara headliner and door paneling, custom dashboard including driver facing gauges, dual colored seats, steering wheel, shift knob, contrasting stitching, in-dash screen, custom trunk subwoofer system and pop-up screens on rear quarter shoulders.”

Click here to read the entire article.