Is UFC trying to avoid the 'Thunder'?
by LYHL on May 5, 2010 6:18 PM EDT
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(Yushin Okami is in this picture, right?)
Promoted to the Front Page by Zak Woods. Editor's note: Discussing the UFC and Yushin Okami is a soup dujour for some MMA fans. While the subject is a little old LYHL brings up an interesting match-up -- Okami vs. Marquardt.
'The Elephant in the Room' — idiom meaning 'a subject that everyone is aware of, but isn't discussed'.
Yushin 'Thunder' Okami is that proverbial elephant, sitting in the 185lb division of the UFC. Whilst 'Thunder' sports an impressive fight record, and can claim that he was the last person to 'beat' current champion Anderson Silva, he has only featured once in the title contention, which was back in 2007 when he fought Rich Franklin for the #1 Contenders spot.
When Nate Marquardt's original opponent, Alessio Sakara pulled out of his fight, I was hoping to see Yushin Okami fill that vacant spot. A fight between Marquardt v Okami could have determined the next opponent for the winner of Silva v Sonnen. Much to my disappointment, rumours suggest that Marquardt is now facing Palhares, and Okami is scheduled to fight Mark Munoz.
If Dana White truly believed that Okami was one of the top four middleweights in the world, then why is he fighting Munoz? This is no disrespect to Munoz, who is a good fighter in his own right, but considering Munoz did not win his last fight in a totally convincing fashion, it is hard to believe that Okami would ascend much higher in the title contention if he beats Munoz. On the other hand, the last impression that people have of Palhares is of the man who snapped his opponent's leg, then ran up onto the cage to flex his biceps upon biceps. I believe that a win over Palhares would be considered 'more impressive' than a win over Munoz, and would likely put Marquardt ahead of Okami once again in the title race.
What do you guys think? Do you believe that Okami has been, and is continually over-looked by the UFC in the 185lb title picture? Do you believe that Marquardt's next match should have been against Thunder to determine the #1 Contender? Your comments, thoughts and opinions are much appreciated.
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i would prefer Okami vs Marquardt too
Munoz TKO’d Grove in very convincing fashion, I dont understand that part of your post, but, Okami is a better potential fight for Nate, and Palhares vs Munoz would be a better matchup. Nice post though.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
Sorry, I didn’t mean that the stoppage was not convincing, but I thought that Munoz was getting smacked around for 1 and a half rounds, until he turned the tables around. I meant to say that his overall performance (except for the stoppage) did not totally convince me that he belongs in the upper echelon of fighters that Okami should be fighting.
What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
-Sun Tze
I agree with you about that.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
More of Zuffa having no idea how to promote Okami. I’m not even sure why they keep him on the roster. Its just become on exercise of juggling fight cards to keep him away from any fighter they are looking to grow and promote.
I guess the reason why he is on the roster is because he has never given the UFC a good excuse to cut him. The majority of his matches in the UFC have been wins. Even after he lost to Sonnen, his record only fell to 7-2, which is better than a majority of the fighters in there. He has never lost two consecutive matches. Also, the promotion that snaps him up could claim that they have ‘the last fighter who beat the man that the UFC claim as the P4P best in the world’.
I just wish he was matched up with Marquardt, it would have determined his position in the division, and it would probably have more significance than the two-newly determined matches.
What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
-Sun Tze
Okami would probably get a title match tomorrow if he hired a publicist and worked on his image.
Put on a bunch artistic Japanese tattoos. Dye his hair neon green and/or pink than release a bunch of YouTube clips driving crazily around town in a suped-up pocket rocket, with light effects and giant spoiler than he’d become popular.
I hate to say it, but MMA is 1/4 of degree away from WWE when it comes to fighter promotion. The more stereotypes you can pump into a fighters persona the more popular he’s going to be. The whole stoic Japanese warrior thing just doesn’t sell in the US, no flash. A Fast ’n Furious copycat has lots of flash and plays right into the 18-29 male consumer demographic.
well having Okami fight on Versus should expose him too a new audience and thus;
Allow him to compete for a title. I agree Okami hasnt been used correctly, but, if you compare Okami and the way they handle him to Fedor with Strikeforce, it seems like a toss up. I have seen Yushin in person, UFC 77. He is a monster in the cage, a huge MW, I am baffled as you are why he hasnt ascended up the contenders ladder.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
Until Chael Sonnen dominated him last October, I always felt he unfairly got the short-end of the stick… Now they actually have a reason to keep him away from title contention other than his boring fights. Especially if Chael gets owned by Anderson, if you want to play the MMAth game.
"Well, yes, but I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands." - Tobias Fünke
"There are just so many poorly chosen words in that sentence." - Michael Bluth
One of my favorite lines from the best TV show ever.
you make a point.
I dont think Chael had the credibility when he beat Okami. He was only 1-1 in the UFC at the time he fought Yushin, he was easily beaten by Maia and had a boring UD against Miller. It makes sense, that loss pushed Okami down the ladder, but, now, that loss looks like it wasnt so bad. You remember, Sonnen was percieved as the little brother of the MW, former WEC MW coming back into the UFC. Perception is reality sometimes.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
You’re right as well, my only concern is that Sonnen looked like a better version of Okami when he fought him, and If Chael gets destroyed by Spider, people are probably going to say Okami’s a “poor man’s Chael Sonnen” or whatever, and that if Sonnen didn’t have the answer for Spider, Okami sure as hell wouldn’t. In theory, of course.
"Well, yes, but I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands." - Tobias Fünke
"There are just so many poorly chosen words in that sentence." - Michael Bluth
One of my favorite lines from the best TV show ever.
maybe, maybe not.
Okami is much better with his stand up and submissions then Chael. Also, Okami has already fought Spider, so he isnt intimidated. I think UFC would have a harder time selling a Thales Leites vs Silva fight after the Maia fight.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
I was saying style wise. I know Leites isnt in the UFC.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
I’ve always been an Okami fan to an extent, so I hope he does get a chance for a title shot or at least a number one contender match eventually. A highlight reel KO would sure help his chances. His boxing looked hella crisp in the Linhares fight, I just don’t know how much that actually means against a higher-ranked opponent.
But hell yeah, I imagin the UFC will never ever make the BJJ vs. Spider mistake again…
"Well, yes, but I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands." - Tobias Fünke
"There are just so many poorly chosen words in that sentence." - Michael Bluth
One of my favorite lines from the best TV show ever.
uh...isnt he fighting Munoz?
watchkalibrun.com
Poyznus.com
Hoya Saxa
by David St. Martin on May 5, 2010 6:46 PM EDT reply actions
sorry, I didnt read it first haha
watchkalibrun.com
Poyznus.com
Hoya Saxa
by David St. Martin on May 5, 2010 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree it would be a good matchup
But not a #1 contenders matchup. Personally I would like to see belfort vs silva before winner of okami vs marquart
At one time, for sure they were brushing him under the rug...
but they lucked out, in a manner of speaking, when Okami lost to Sonnen. Given that loss, it doesn’t seem unfair that they push him down the ladder and match him up with someone like Munoz.
On the plus side, it gives Okami time to work up some serious momentum and further polish his boxing. Another couple of wins, though, and Okami fans will probably be back where we were a couple years ago, wondering when he would get a no. 1 contender fight.
Come to think of it, though, wasn’t Sonnen vs. Okami kind of an unofficial number one contenders fight?
Hmm. I still think the winner would have had to fight Marquardt to determine #1 spot. However, if Okami had won the Sonnen fight, and thus the subsequent Marquardt fight, it wouldn’t to too unrealistic to suggest that he would have had to fight Belfort as well to determine the #1 contender.
What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
-Sun Tze
The Okami getting the shaft thing is overplayed. He had a number one contender’s fight, then he lost it. He got a few more wins and was given a title shot, but then he broke his hand. Coming out of the injury, they gave him what should have been a tune-up return against Lister, and he was boring and didn’t finish, so he had to take another fight, which he lost. Could he have gotten a title shot and had it been legit? Sure. But his never actually fighting for the belt is nowhere near the travesty it is often made out to be.
Just Blog Guy - http://JustBlogGuy.wordpress.com/
I know it's over played
I even mentioned that fact when I promoted it.
But let me ask you this: which fight would you rather see? Marquardt vs. Sakara or Marquardt vs. Okami?
Yes, I know that Nate is fighting Rousimar now but the idea of pairing Okami and Nate together is appealing, no?
watchkalibrun.com
I’m just saying that Okami v Marquardt ‘makes sense’, it would be appealing to the fans, it would let people know where Okami stands in the UFC middleweight division.
At the end of the day, it would have been an appealing fight.
What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
-Sun Tze
No, I agree that’s an appealing fight, and I would have been happy with it if they had decided to make it. The point I was trying to get across was he has had two chances at a title shot (the loss to Rich and the hand) in response to the mention of him only getting one shot at contention.
I could have picked a better opening, as the main point of contention wasn’t with claims he may have had a rough deal, or that an Okami-Marquardt fight would have been good. In a lot of the frequently debated MMA topics, there’s often certain points that are always raised, and that’s one that just nags at me every time. The UFC booked him, and he got hurt. A tune-up coming out of the injury isn’t the most unreasonable fight for them to set up, and you can’t fault them for not being stoked to book him for the belt after his Lister performance, and Anderson’s less than awe-inspiring showings in his prior belt defenses.
I actually agree that Munoz should not be his next dance partner.
Just Blog Guy - http://JustBlogGuy.wordpress.com/
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