Yushin Okami – His Time Has Come

“He has power and he does not have any weak points,” Okami says of Marquardt. “I recognize that he is a really great fighter.” Known for his calm and cool demeanor, Yushin Okami exudes confidence in the Octagon. It wasn’t always that way though. Just flash back to his pro debut against Kyosuke Sasaki a little over eight years ago, and the man will tell you himself that he barely resembled a man one win away from a world title shot.

“At that time, I felt nervous,” he said. “Therefore, I do not remember anything.”

That’s what the prospect of facing another man in sanctioned hand to hand combat can do to you. It can make you forget everything – your training, your techniques, even your name. The funny thing is, it’s natural, and the ones who are able to control those emotions are the ones who go on to big things in this toughest of sports.

Okami won that night in September of 2002, and in the ensuing years he’s added 25 wins to his pro record and just five losses. On Saturday, he faces Nate Marquardt in the main event of UFC 122 in Oberhausen, Germany, and with a victory, he will be looking at a championship fight in 2011.

It’s been a long road for Okami since his days growing up in Kanagawa, Japan. A self-described “gentle child,” the future middleweight contender says that he “grew up normally. It was happy every day.” Skilled in track and field during his school years, Okami eventually gravitated to combat sports, and by 2001, the 20-year old was entrenched in the fight game and a year away from his pro debut.

From there, it’s been a whirlwind of fighting, traveling, and getting better, with Okami’s ultimate goal to become the first Japanese fighter to win a UFC title. Yuki Kondo, Kenichi Yamamoto, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, and Caol Uno have all fallen short before, prompting the question for Okami as to why his countrymen have never been able to secure the belt in the Octagon.

“I think that not being accustomed to an overseas environment is one of the causes,” he said. “That experience helps in the UFC because I was fighting a lot in foreign countries.”

He’s not kidding. In addition to his fights at home, Okami’s fighting passport has been stamped in Russia, South Korea, Northern Ireland, the United States, and now Germany. But perhaps his most memorable international bout came in 2006 when he traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii to face future UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva. In a well documented bout, Okami defeated Silva via disqualification when ‘The Spider’ landed an illegal up kick that rendered the Japanese fighter unable to continue. It was Silva’s last loss, and if Okami has his choice, should he beat Marquardt, he wants Silva to emerge victorious in his upcoming bout with Vitor Belfort to set up a score settling rematch.

“I want to fight with Silva, who is the champion,” he says, getting right to the point. It’s this quiet confidence that has taken him through his 11 fight UFC career, one that has seen him build a stellar 9-2 record, with the only losses coming to Rich Franklin and Chael Sonnen. It’s a resume to be proud of, but the loss to Sonnen at UFC 104 in October 2009 still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

“I was embarrassed and disappointed with myself,” he said, showing the competitor inside. Yet shortly after the bout, he figured if you can’t beat ‘em, learn from ‘em, and soon he was in Oregon training with Sonnen and Team Quest.

“Team Quest offered the highest training environment to me that exists,” said Okami. “I wish to express my gratitude to them. Communication was the only problem for me because my English language skill is still low.”

But training with a former opponent?

“No problem.”

Since his first stint in Portland (he has since returned to work there for the Marquardt bout), Okami delivered one of his career-best performances in stopping Lucio Linhares in March, and then he scored a split decision win over Mark Munoz in August that brings him now to Germany and a matchup with Nate “The Great.” Okami, as usual, is very respectful of his foe.

“He has power and he does not have any weak points,” he said of Marquardt. “I recognize that he is a really great fighter.”

And it takes a great fighter to beat a great fighter. So if Okami is going to make history for Japan by winning a UFC title, he will have to prove himself the hard way as he removes all obstacles in his way. The first one is Marquardt, then it’s off to Silva or Belfort. It’s a daunting stretch to say the least, but Okami’s ready for it. It’s probably why when you ask him what fight fans should expect from him in the future, he just has a one word answer to the question.

“Champion.”

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Yushin Okami - The Thunder Seven

On November 13 in Oberhausen, Germany, Yushin Okami returns to the main event slot for the first time in three years when he takes on Nate Marquardt at UFC 122. For the man dubbed "Thunder", it's an opportunity to earn a long-awaited middleweight title shot and add to his list of defining moments. Anderson Silva WDQ1 – Rumble on The Rock 8 – 1/20/06
13-2 as a pro, with his only losses coming against respected vets Amar Suloev and Falaniko Vitale, Okami made his second US appearance against a pre-prime Anderson Silva in Hawaii. Silva had made some noise on the international scene with five PRIDE appearances, but his 3-2 record in the organization didn’t exactly show off ‘The Spider’ who has been dominating the UFC since June of ’06. On this night in Honolulu, the Brazilian did look to be on top of his game, as he dominated the standup and tossed aside any Okami takedown attempts. Eventually, Okami got Silva to the mat, but just when it looked like the bout was going to get interesting in terms of ‘Thunder’ getting back in the fight, Silva finished the bout with an up kick. Unfortunately for him, it was an illegal move, and he was disqualified by referee (and future UFC fighter) Troy Mandaloniz. On paper, it’s Silva’s last loss, but Okami doesn’t see it as such. “The records say I won but I really lost the match,” he said. “But I believe because of this fight I've grown stronger. The next time I fight him things will be different. I am confident of that.”

Alan Belcher W3 – UFC 62 – 8/26/06
Three months after the win over Silva, Okami returned to Hawaii and lost a majority decision to Jake Shields. It would be his last defeat for over a year, and after two TKO wins in Japan, he made his low-key UFC debut against fellow debutant Alan Belcher, a late replacement for former middleweight title challenger David Terrell. The bout was punctuated by what can be best described as a bizarre front flip by Belcher while Okami rode his back in the third round, but other than that bright moment, it was all Okami, who pounded out a workmanlike three round unanimous decision and announced his arrival to the UFC.

Mike Swick W3 – UFC 69 – 4/7/07
With a 5-0 UFC record, The Ultimate Fighter’s Mike Swick was rapidly closing in on a middleweight title shot, and in front of his Texas fans at UFC 69, most expected him to move to 6-0. But Okami was poised and ready to perform, and he did just that, as he dominated Swick on the mat and grounded and pounded his way to a clear cut three round decision win. It was the fourth consecutive time (following Belcher, Kalib Starnes, and Rory Singer) that the Kanagawa native issued an opponent his first Octagon defeat.

Rich Franklin L3 – UFC 72 – 6/16/07
After Martin Kampmann was forced out of his UFC 72 main event against Rich Franklin, the next logical choice to face the former 185-pound champ for a shot at Anderson Silva’s crown was Okami, who brought a four fight UFC winning streak into the bout. Unfortunately for Okami, his patient style cost him, as Franklin shot out to a 2-0 lead on the judges’ cards. In the third though, Okami showed that he was ready for the best in the weight class, as he closed strong behind a ground attack that included a kimura that almost ended the bout. “It was pretty close; he had me a little nervous but I was able to pull out of it,” said Franklin, who earned the three round unanimous decision win and sent Okami back to the drawing board.  

Evan Tanner KO2 – UFC 82 – 3/1/08
Four months after the loss to Franklin, Okami returned with a three round win over Jason MacDonald, yet despite a stellar 5-1 record in the Octagon, fight fans were looking for more thunder from “Thunder”, whose only UFC stoppage came against Starnes at UFC 64. Okami’s response? An emphatic second round knockout of comebacking former 185-pound champion Evan Tanner at UFC 82. It was Okami’s most impressive UFC performance to date, as he dropped and bloodied Tanner in the first round and then finished him with a knee to the head in the second frame. After the fight, the soft-spoken Okami was classy as usual when asked about a rematch with Silva. "It’s up to the UFC," he said. "If they feel I am ready for a title shot, I’d be honored. If they want me to take on another tough opponent before getting a shot at the belt, then that’s what I’ll do."

Lucio Linhares TKO2 – UFC Fight Night – 3/31/10
Following the Tanner fight, Okami split his next two, beating Dean Lister and losing to Chael Sonnen. After the Sonnen fight, Okami knew that to break into title contention, he not only had to put together a win streak, but he had to do so in impressive style. In March of 2010, he got his first opportunity and he made an example of Brazil’s Lucio Linhares, punishing him with some of his best standup work to date en route to a second round stoppage. The victory sent a statement to the rest of the division that just when you thought all you had to worry about was Okami’s ground game, now he could knock you out standing too.

Mark Munoz W3 – UFC on Versus – 8/1/10
Elevated to the position of Japan’s Great UFC Hope, Okami could have been overwhelmed by such pressure, but on a night when countryman Takanori Gomi resurrected his career with a first round knockout of Tyson Griffin, the 29-year old continued his slow and steady rise to the top of the division with a three round split decision win over Mark Munoz. And while the win itself was important, also key was the fact that Okami showed the ability to handle a world-class wrestler in a way he didn’t in his loss to Sonnen nearly a year earlier. So with all his ducks in a row, Okami is back in a title elimination bout against Marquardt, and this time, he expects to get the job done and become only the fifth Japanese fighter (after Yuki Kondo, Caol Uno, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, and Kenichi Yamamoto) to challenge for a UFC crown.

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