2011 hasn’t been very kind to Asian fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.Dong Hyun Kim was KO’d by Carlos Condit. Yoshihiro Akiyama must be seriously contemplating his other entertainment talents after suffering a beating from Vitor Belfort.Z…
2011 hasn’t been very kind to Asian fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Dong Hyun Kim was KO’d by Carlos Condit. Yoshihiro Akiyama must be seriously contemplating his other entertainment talents after suffering a beating from Vitor Belfort.
Zhang Tie Quan was impressive in his guillotine choke win in his UFC debut, but he hasn’t been on the radar lately.
But Japan’s Yushin Okami (26-5) is different, and he could be set to become Asia’s first homegrown son to become champion in Pride, er, I mean the UFC on August 27, 2011 in Rio, Brazil. (The first Asian has to be Lyoto Machida, but he ain’t homegrown).
Riding on the crest of last year’s three-fight win streak over Lucio Linhares, Mark Munoz and Nate Marquardt, respectively, Okami has come a long way since his first professional mixed martial arts debut on September 8, 2002.
Prior to UFC, he has fought around the globe for various promotions like Pancrase, M-1 Global and Rumble on the Rock. And even before fighting as a pro, he won the pre-Pride 4 amateur tournament in Japan, proving that he is now a true grizzled veteran of the fight game.
It was in Rumble on the Rock 8, on January 20, 2006, when he won over Anderson Silva by disqualification. The circumstances are known to every MMA fan, casual or hardcore. (In other words, no need to repeat here, right?)
The rematch is this weekend: Anderson “The Spider” Silva as long-reigning UFC middleweight champion and Yushin “Thunder” Okami as his worthy challenger.
Okami not only has his work cut out for him—he’s got his shot at immortality.
After all, the man he will attempt to dethrone as UFC Middleweight Champion is none other than MMA’s current pound-for-pound king and most dangerous fighter. And this will take place right in Silva’s backyard, no less.
Add to that the other historical breakthrough of possibly becoming Asia’s new MMA emperor, ruling over UFC’s middleweight empire.
Anyway, in case Okami falls short in this much-coveted chance of a lifetime, he’s already got a ready-made excuse: “Talk show king Chael Sonnen was not in my corner.”
After arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Anderson Silva looks forward to meeting Yushin Okami in the main event. Of course, any champion would feel honoured to grace their presence in the main event, but for Silva it’s different because it’s on his home…
After arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Anderson Silva looks forward to meeting Yushin Okami in the main event. Of course, any champion would feel honoured to grace their presence in the main event, but for Silva it’s different because it’s on his home soil.
In an interview with MMAFighting.com, Silva expressed his interest about fighting in front of his country, where he’ll be defending his middleweight title.
“This is a big dream for all the fights in Brazil; for me, for Rodrigo (Nogueira), Erick Silva and all the fighters,” Silva said.
On the UFC’s grandest stage, Silva almost feels like it’s his privilege rather than a right to highlight UFC 134 this weekend. His humble approach and appreciation towards other fighters like Nogueira is almost overlooked. Due to the fact, he is the focal point of the event and Brazil’s most popular fighter.
Other fights on the card have their own storylines, but Silva’s generates the most attention.
Despite the publicity he has generated in Brazil, Silva said he doesn’t look at his upcoming bout any differently than his past fights.
“This fight is not about avenging a loss. Some fights you win, and some of them you lose this is just another fight,” he said.
Silva might just be modest, but the Brazilian understands the importance of the fight and what it means to the country, and to himself. At UFC 134, Silva will look to add another important chapter to his storybook career when he competes in Brazil.
Ask some mixed martial arts fans about the greatest fighter of all time and the answers are 100 percent guaranteed to vary. Randy Couture, Fedor Emelianenko and Chuck Liddell are just a few of the names on the short list. Heck, some might put Geo…
Ask some mixed martial arts fans about the greatest fighter of all time and the answers are 100 percent guaranteed to vary.
Heck, some might put Georges St. Pierre in the running nowadays and many anticipate a claim for UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones by the time his career’s out.
You’ve heard it all before: pound-for-pound the undisputed king of MMA; 13-0 in the UFC; the only world champion in combat sports to walk out of eight consecutive title fights as undisputed 185-pound world champion.
Despite clowning the outmatched Demian Maia at UFC 112, fighting a rather smart fight with conservative training ally Thales Leites and surviving nearly 25 anatomically fatiguing minutes with Chael Sonnen, Andersen still is argued as possibly the greatest fighter in the illustrious existence of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
He gets Yushin Okami at UFC 134 this Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, anywhere from a nine to 13-hour drive from Silva’s home in Curitiba.
Once again, it is the popular opinion that Okami will beat him as most of Okami’s wins came outside of the U.S.
Will a legitimate loss to Okami shut down the hype of Silva being the greatest fighter of all time?
No, it will not, partially because Okami’s not getting that win.
Yes, Sonnen laid the groundwork to push Silva to his breaking point—albeit with abnormally high testosterone levels attributed to TRT, which Sonnen claims he needs—but at the end of the day, Okami is not Sonnen.
Even with a takedown or two, or even a few brushing blows, Silva’s not going to be in any position that he hasn’t already seen.
The consensus is that Okami is all sizzle and no steak when it comes to besting Silva in any aspect of the sport.
Sonnen won’t be at UFC 134, but he claims Okami will do what he almost did by beating Silva.
That very claim of victory over Silva is exactly where his faithful’s constant “greatest of all time” claims originate.
Yes, the Curtis Stout win was nothing more than proof that Silva is capable of great ground and pound. But victories over the likes on Tony Fryklund, Alexander Otsuka and Roan Carneiro aren’t easy to dismiss.
Nobody was using the “he’s not that good” argument for those fighters when Silva fought them.
Hard to believe that this is the same guy that tapped out twice and lost a decision before the DQ loss to Okami, isn’t it?
Not only has Silva defeated credible fighters in their best days in the sport while shutting down some future notables in their “prospect stages,” but there’s also the men he’s beaten in the UFC.
Chris Leben, Rich Franklin, and Forrest Griffin are just few of the many that all said in their own way that they were going to be the man to defeat Silva before they fought him.
While the ill-timed, illegal upkick at Rumble On The Rock 8 led to Okami becoming technically the last man to beat Silva, nobody has decisively done it.
One has come close, but he tapped out in the fifth round and his solid efforts have since only served as a testament to the heart and endurance of Silva.
If Okami does win, the expectation is that he will not put Silva in legitimate danger and will smother Silva until the ringside judges give Okami his rounds—hence, the hopes of a Silva win have never been higher than they seem now.
Yes, Okami has the recipe to beat Silva with his wrestling game. But what makes anyone think that he’ll be able to do in five to 15 minutes what his training partner could not do in the full 25 minutes of championship action?
Silva has proven to be mortal, but he has also proven to be probably as intelligent a mortal menace as any percentage of wrestlers in MMA.
Every time someone appears to showcase the blueprint to finish Silva, he finds a way to shut them down. On multiple occasions, he’s finished fights with something that no one outside of his own camp could have honestly predicted.
Regardless of whether he avenges his DQ loss to Okami in front of his homeland or not, Silva has to go down as one of the top 10 greatest fighters, if not the greatest of all time.
But considering Silva’s track record since he entered the UFC, expect him to pull off the unexpected in avenging his loss and cementing his stature as the greatest fighter in MMA, bar none.
UFC 134: Rio will be held this Saturday, August 27 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The second trip to this beautiful country for the UFC, the night’s action is loaded with tremendous matchups.Highlighting the car…
UFC 134: Rio will be held this Saturday, August 27 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The second trip to this beautiful country for the UFC, the night’s action is loaded with tremendous matchups.
Highlighting the card will be a middleweight showdown between Brazil’s own, Anderson “The Spider” Silva as he defends his coveted title against Japanese sensation, Yushin “Thunder” Okami.
The co-main event of the night is a bout between two former UFC light heavyweight champions. Another Brazilian star, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will attempt to avenge his previous loss to the American, Forrest Griffin.
In heavyweight action, Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub will attempt to add to his seven knockout victories as he battles the legendary Brazilian, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira.
With 13 Brazilian born fighters on the card, the UFC’s return to their native land will be a showcase for the seasoned veterans as well as the rising stars.
Please follow along as I dissect all 12 fights and provide analysis and predictions for the outcomes.
On Saturday, August 27 the UFC will return to Brazil for the first time since October 16, 1998. That event, “Ultimate Brazil” was headlined by a middleweight title bout between Frank Shamrock and John Lober, but it is perhaps best remem…
On Saturday, August 27 the UFC will return to Brazil for the first time since October 16, 1998. That event, “Ultimate Brazil” was headlined by a middleweight title bout between Frank Shamrock and John Lober, but it is perhaps best remembered for the 44 second beating Vitor Belfort gave to Wanderlei Silva.
The promotion will bring UFC 134 to the HSBC Arena in Rio next Saturday and the event, like the first UFC Brazil event, will be headlined by a middleweight title fight as Anderson Silva defends his title against Yushin Okami. The co-main event will feature Mauricio “Shogun” Rua facing Forrest Griffin. In all, 14 Brazilian fighters will be competing on the 12 fight card. Only one contest will be without a Brazilian fighter.
Appearing on the Spike TV preliminary card will be a lightweights Thiago Tavares and Spencer Fisher.
Tavares will come into the fight with a 15-4-1 record, going 5-4-1 in the UFC. His last fight was a second round KO loss to Shane Roller in March of this year. Fisher is 24-7 in his MMA career and 10-6 in the UFC. In his last four fights he has gone 1-3 with his sole win coming via unanimous decision over Curt Warburton at UFC 120.
Fighting in the deep lightweight division, the loser of this one could have his career on the line.
RIO DE JANEIRO — MMA Fighting spoke to Yushin Okami on Thursday about his UFC 134 middleweight title fight against Anderson Silva, fighting in Brazil, having to wait for his title shot, what he expects from Silva, Chael Sonnen not making the trip to Rio and whether he agrees with Dana White that he is the best fighter to come out of Japan.
RIO DE JANEIRO — MMA Fighting spoke to Yushin Okami on Thursday about his UFC 134 middleweight title fight against Anderson Silva, fighting in Brazil, having to wait for his title shot, what he expects from Silva, Chael Sonnen not making the trip to Rio and whether he agrees with Dana White that he is the best fighter to come out of Japan.
2011 hasn’t been very kind to Asian fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.