UFC 144 Japan: Yushin Okami Vs. Tim Boetsch Dissection

UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson will stage the return of the UFC’s most successful Japanese competitor in middleweight Yushin Okami, who’s paired with 205-pound crossover Tim Boetsch. The match up adorns Saturday night’s main card offering from the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo.

Yushin Okami (26-6) has slowly permeated into the upper echelon of the world rankings since he set up shop with the UFC back in 2006. Okami paraded in with a lustrous nineteen-fight record highlighted by sixteen wins and fresh off a memorable second-place finish in the Rumble on the Rock 175-pound tournament. Okami advanced in the opening round of the Hawaiian promotion’s stacked Grand Prix with a controversial win over current middleweight monarch Anderson Silva. “The Spider” sliced an illegal up-kick from his back and was disqualified when Okami couldn’t continue, and future dual-class juggernaut Jake Shields out-hustled Okami via decision to clench the tournament championship.

At the time of his promotional debut at UFC 62, Okami’s three career defeats were all dealt by reputable, UFC-caliber opposition: Shields, Hawaiian Falaniko Vitale and Red Devil Sport Club’s Amar Suloev. Okami’s tour of duty in the Octagon is thirteen deep with ten victories. His three UFC losses are of a highly respectable nature as well, as only former champ Rich Franklin and the best two middleweights in the world (Chael Sonnen and Silva in the rematch) have topped him.

via UFC 144: Yushin Okami Vs. Tim Boetsch Dissection – Bloody Elbow.