“The last time Anderson Silva fought Yushin Okami…”
How many times have you seen this sentence lately?
The fight history between Silva and Okami has had people talking on and on about a potential rematch between undisputed UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva and the last man to defeat him in the last five years, Yushin “Thunder” Okami.
Only after Silva’s shocking UFC 126 knockout of Vitor Belfort—when a prodigious kick sent Belfort crumpling to the tarp—did we learn that Silva-Okami “Round II” would be a reality.
Now, UFC 134 in Rio will be the stage on which Silva-Okami II—the originally planned main event for UFC 90 before Okami pulled out with a hand injury—will finally happen.
To quickly bring you up to speed, the last time Okami and Silva fought, it was at Rumble on The Rock 8 in the opening round of the ROTR Welterweight Tournament.
As many of you know, the controversy surrounding the bout is due to the upkick that Silva landed on Okami while Okami was on his knees and inside Silva’s guard.
Now while the kick was illegal, some people believe Okami saved himself from an inevitable slaughter by choosing to not fight on after Silva illegally checked his chin, and some others felt that the disqualification call was absolutely justified.
It’s the expectation of many that when Silva keeps the fight standing next weekend, he will knock Okami out—perhaps with something unexpected, as has been the norm for Anderson as of late. It would be the first KO loss of Okami’s career, and the first time Okami has lost by a form of KO since 2003.
What exactly will Anderson pull out “when” he knocks out Okami?
He’s got some options, and it’s our hope that you bear with us, because it’s a long list of options.
Ronda Rousey: Women’s MMA Needs Attitude, Not ‘Some Nice Girl’ – (