Yushin Okami

11/03/2012 3879 Views by

Yushin Okami | “Thunder”
Ht: 6’2 – Wt: 185 – Age: 31
Born: Kanagawa, Japan
Fights out of: Kanagawa, Japan
Team: Wajyutsu Keisyukai | Team Quest
Overall Record: 27-7
UFC Record: 11-4

Background:
Yushin Okami has been a perennial contender in the UFC middleweight division due to his solid wrestling, strength, and conditioning. Okami got his start in mixed martial arts in 2002, jumping out to a 6-0 record before suffering his first career loss to UFC veteran Amar Suloev in the M-1 promotion. Okami bounced back winning his next 7 out of 8 fights, including victories over Nick Thompson and Ryuta Sakurai. Okami moved on to participate in Hawaii’s Rumble on the Rock welterweight tournament where he faced off against Anderson Silva in the opening round. Okami ended up eating an illegal upkick and was unable to continue, thus he was awarded the victory via disqualification. Okami eventually lost a tough decision in the next round of the tournament to Jake Shields. Okami returned back to Japan where he won 2 more fights before signing with the UFC in 2006. Okami made his successful UFC debut against Alan Belcher, winning via unanimous decision. Okami scored finishes in his next two fights over TUF 3 alums Kalib Starnes and Rory Singer. Okami moved on to defeat Mike Swick via unanimous decision as he used his wrestling and strength to control Swick throughout the fight. Okami was quickly moving up the UFC middleweight ranks and was booked against former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin in a #1 contender bout. The fight was close, but Franklin did enough to earn the unanimous decision victory. Okami continued to win fights, despite falling short of earning a title shot as he knocked off veterans Jason MacDonald, Evan Tanner, and Dean Lister. Okami was once again inching closer towards a title shot, but lost to Chael Sonnen via decision. Okami ended up training with Sonnen after the loss and went on to win his next 3 fights, including victories over top contenders Mark Munoz and Nate Marquardt. Okami finally got his shot at Anderson Silva at UFC 134, but fell short losing via TKO in the 2nd round.

2011 Breakdown:
Okami fought once in 2011, losing to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Okami faced off with Silva at UFC 134 in a very hostile, pro-Silva Brazilian crowd. Okami tried to close the distance early, but he was unable to take Silva down and seemed to abandon his gameplan altogether as Silva continued to find his range. Okami survived the 1st round after a few Silva flurries, but in the 2nd, Silva quickly began connecting on accurate punches that had Okami on the retreat. Okami finally went down after eating a right hand and was unable to survive Silva’s subsequent strikes, forcing the ref to stop the fight.

2012 Forecast:
Okami finally got his title shot in 2011, but now that he lost without putting up much of a fight there are some questions about what to do with Okami from here on out. Okami is in the same position that Rich Franklin found himself stuck in. He is too good to be a gatekeeper, but is also in no position to get another title shot anytime soon. Okami is too big to move to 170, yet too small for 205. Okami’s size and strength at middleweight have provided him a needed edge due to his lack of finishing skills. Okami is very well-rounded, but he rarely takes risks and would prefer to fight out of the clinch or on the ground in top position. He will likely be buried on the undercard as his style has never been considered fan-friendly. Okami’s best hope is to continue piling up wins and hope that Silva decides to retire in the very near future.

Yushin Okami Fight Record

Overall Record: 26-6
2008-2011 Record: 5-2

2011 Record: 0-1
Loss | Anderson Silva | Tko | Rd 2 | UFC | 08/27/2011

2010 Record: 3-0
Win | Nate Marquardt | Dec | Rd 3 | UFC | 11/13/2010
Win | Mark Munoz | Dec | Rd 3 | UFC | 08/01/2010
Win | Lucio Linhares | Tko | Rd 2 | UFC | 03/31/2010

2009 Record: 0-1
Loss | Chael Sonnen | Dec | Rd 3 | UFC | 10/24/2009

2008 Record: 2-0
Win | Dean Lister | Dec | Rd 3 | UFC | 12/27/2008
Win | Evan Tanner | KO | Rd 2 | UFC | 03/01/2008

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