UFC 134 will mark the first time time the UFC has presented an event in Brazil since October 1998. The fight card, which will see UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva defend his title against Yushin Okami in the main event, will take place at Rio d…
UFC 134 will mark the first time time the UFC has presented an event in Brazil since October 1998. The fight card, which will see UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva defend his title against Yushin Okami in the main event, will take place at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena on Saturday, August 27.
Silva is in the midst of a 14-fight winning streak, his last loss being a disqualification when he faced Okami at Rumble on the Rock 8 back in January 2006. During that bout Silva delivered an illegal upkick to the face of Okami, which earned him the DQ after Okami could not continue. During his14-fight winning streak, Silva captured the UFC middleweight title and has since defended it eight times.
Silva last set foot in the Octagon at UFC 126, earning a first-round knockout victory over Vitor Belfort. The end in that fight was swift and violent, with Silva landing a brutal front kick that left Belfort crumbled to the ground at the 3:25 mark of the first stanza.
Since defeating Silva, Okami has put together a record of 12-3. He is currently riding a three-fight winning streak with his last loss coming to his current training partner, Chael Sonnen at UFC 104 in October 2009.
The co-main event on the card will also be a rematch, as former UFC light heavyweight champions Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Forrest Griffin face off. In their first meeting Griffin scored a third-round submission victory. The fight was Rua’s first in the UFC. Since that September 2007 bout, both fighters have gone 3-2.
Bleacher Report will be your source for news, analysis and opinions on the upcoming fight card.
Check back often as the fight card nears for all the UFC 134 information you need.
“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 And…
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.
The legacy of Anderson Silva continues, as he looks to take out Yushin Okami in his UFC record ninth straight title defense. UFC 134 is scheduled for August 9th, and it is packed with a great fight card. The headliner of the card is Anderson Silva…
The legacy of Anderson Silva continues, as he looks to take out Yushin Okami in his UFC record ninth straight title defense.
UFC 134 is scheduled for August 9th, and it is packed with a great fight card. The headliner of the card is Anderson Silva vs Yushin Okami.
While there is no official name for UFC 134, Silva has revenge set on his mind.
At UFC 134, UFC middleweight champion Anderson “the Spider” Silva will be making his return to Brazil as he takes on Japan’s Yushin Okami. Okami was the last person to defeat Silva, albeit by a controversial disqualification…
At UFC 134, UFC middleweight champion Anderson “the Spider” Silva will be making his return to Brazil as he takes on Japan’s Yushin Okami.
Okami was the last person to defeat Silva, albeit by a controversial disqualification.
Silva was disqualified because he threw an illegal up kick while Okami was on the ground.
Anything can happen in MMA, and on any given night, any fighter can be defeated. But I believe Silva will win this bout and remain champion.
Anderson Silva, love him or hate him, is one of the best fighters to ever set foot in the Octagon.To some, he is in the top two pound-for-pound best. To others, he is the best fighter in the sport today. It seems like ancient history when trying …
Anderson Silva, love him or hate him, is one of the best fighters to ever set foot in the Octagon.
To some, he is in the top two pound-for-pound best. To others, he is the best fighter in the sport today.
It seems like ancient history when trying to remember the last time Anderson Silva was standing in the BLUE corner. He has dominated the UFC Middleweight division like none other has in any weight class. With each win, Silva sets records and builds his legacy of being one of the greatest of all time.
One glance at him, and you do not see a fighter. You see a skinny Brazilian man, with little to no scar tissue, who does not have the typical cauliflower ears many BJJ and wrestling fighters tend to have. But once in a cage, he turns into a phenomenal combatant.
His championship reign, winning streak, and record setting will be on the line once again come UFC RIO. He will be facing the strong contender, Yushin Okami. Okami is the last man to have a win over “The Spider”, but came at the disqualification of Silva when he knocked out Okami with an illegal upkick.
This is redemption time for Silva, and the stage is set for him. He will be fighting in his home country of Brazil, looking to avenge the blemish that his fight with Okami has left. But one must look at factors that affect a fighter’s situation during the fight.
By being in front of his home country, the pressure may be on Silva to perform. This may very well get him out of his element and cause openings for Okami to capitalize on. Also, his records are on the line, not to mention his belt.
Silva wants to build his legacy and remain undefeated, but each fight he wins is also an addition to the risk and what he can lose. A fighter who wins the belt after two fights and then loses it right after, does not hurt their legacy too significantly. If Silva loses to Okami, he will take a dramatic hit to his reputation.
Anderson is at a point where fans want to see him lose just because he is doing so well. It may be out of jealously, the fact he dominated well-liked fighters like Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin, or because they have given in to Chael Sonnen’s jokes.
Whatever reason, the greater he becomes, the more people hate him. Yushin will look to shock the Middleweight division and be the one to end Silva’s reign.
The pressure is on Yushin Okami as well. He is on a three-fight winning streak, and it is finally his shot at the belt. He was in title contention against Rich Franklin in 2007, riding on a six-fight winning streak, but lost the decision. He followed with three wins before being stopped by Sonnen, and then gained three more wins. He has been clamoring for his shot, and due to Sonnen and Vitor Belfort, his shot has been pushed and postponed.
With the pressure of his first UFC title shot, he will try to prove to the world that he is the best Japanese fighter, as Dana White has stated. He will also be on Silva’s home turf, which can psychologically hinder a fighter.
His advantage will be his wrestling and the fact he has been training with Chael Sonnen, the only man to give a beating to the Champion and come the closest to taking his title.
The question is, will Yushin be fast enough to get Silva on the ground? Every fight starts standing, and this is where Silva is the most dangerous. If Yushin pushes the pace, he could eliminate the time Silva takes to figure out his opponent, setting himself up for a takedown. But once on the ground, will Yushin stay busy like Sonnen? Or will he take more risks in going for submissions?
Yushin is not one to recently go for submissions, but rather get TKOs or decision wins. This could be the problem for Okami since his normal striking will not work the same way.
Silva is only human, and makes mistakes, but one cannot deny that you cannot fully understand fighting Silva until you actually do. Okami has faced Silva before, but not the Silva we know today. The situational advantage that Okami has is that most of the pressure is on Anderson.
Also, if Okami loses, it just makes Silva look better, whereas if Anderson loses, he looks worse, and Okami looks incredible. The situation will be similar to when Fabricio Werdum fought Fedor Emelianenko.
One other factor is that Anderson is getting older. He may not show it a lot, but at 36, his MMA career is starting to come to an end. He may or may not be at his peak, or he may be on the down slope. But for a fighter like Silva, his descent will be more gradual.
Dana White said it well that Silva is fighting for his legacy, and Okami is fighting for respect. Okami, like the rest of the Middleweights, are fantastic fighters. The problem is that Anderson has been so dominant for so long, the rest of the division looks weak. If you were to remove Silva from the division tomorrow, the Middleweights would all look a lot better.
This is Silva’s legacy. By shutting down Yushin Okami, he will continue his march toward greatness, and stay on top of the rankings. If he loses and Georges St.Pierre wins his fight against Diaz, he may very well be bumped to second place. Whether this is justified or not, it will inevitably happen.
Regardless, you will see history be made at UFC RIO. Either Silva will once again expand his reign, or Okami will dethrone him and make “The Spider” keep his hand at his side.
Give us your thoughts on the UFC Rio card below! Predict Main and Co-Main (Winner, Method, Round). Winner(s) will be mentioned in a future article.
(Deja vu all over again all over again: Frankie and Gray strike a familiar pose at the UFC 136 press conference. Photo via MMAMania)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– Fight Nerd Cinema: South Korea’s ‘Champion’ Movie Review (TheFightNerd)
– Underrated Joseph Benavidez Awaits Another Shot (NBC Sports MMA)
– Dana White: Yushin Okami is Best Fighter to Ever Come From Japan (5thRound)
– Start This Morning Off by Watching Skinny Kids Get Beat up by Alistair Overeem (MiddleEasy)
– Jon Fitch Cleared for Competition, UFC 139 Match Against Hendricks Rumored (Five Ounces of Pain)
– David Williams: A Statistical Look at Fedor Emelianenko’s Place in MMA History (FightOpinion)
– Brazilian Reporter Gifts Chael Sonnen a Brazilian Flag (MMA Convert)
– CNN to Air Replays of ‘Mayweather-Ortiz 24/7’ (MMA Payout)
(Deja vu all over again all over again: Frankie and Gray strike a familiar pose at the UFC 136 press conference. Photo via MMAMania)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
UFC 134 will mark the first time time the UFC has presented an event in Brazil since October 1998. The fight card, which will see UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva defend his title against Yushin Okami in the main event, will take place at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena on Saturday, August 27.