Okami Eager for Return and Rematch with Silva

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By Thomas Gerbasi

With seven wins in eight UFC appearances, Yushin Okami was rapidly closing in on a shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, but after a knee injury scrapped his May 23rd bout against Dan Miller at UFC 98, the Kanagawa native is now forced to wait a little longer as he rehabs his knee.

“I'd torn my ligament around the end of April,” Okami told UFC.com. “I really wanted to fight (against Miller), but the doctor had stopped me. He told me I would recover by June if I sit still. Currently I'm focused on upper-body training, and by July I will be back to my usual regimen. I want to get back into the Octagon, if possible, to fight in September.”

Obviously, Okami’s return won’t be against the middleweight boss, who has an August date with Forrest Griffin at 205 pounds to contend with first. It’s a fight “Thunder” will be watching closely.

“I believe this will be a good fight,” he said of Silva-Griffin. “He does best at 185 but I don't think it's a wrong decision to fight in 205.”

As for Silva’s recent decision win over Thales Leites at UFC 97 this past April, Okami says, “I felt that Anderson Silva was quite comfortable throughout the fight. I also felt that Thales Leites fell into Anderson Silva's plan and wasn't able to perform to his potential.”

Okami has certainly performed to his potential thus far in the Octagon, with wins over the likes of Jason MacDonald, Evan Tanner, Dean Lister, Mike Swick, and Alan Belcher. And it’s his 2006 victory over Belcher and his experience in the Octagon that undoubtedly give him some interesting insights that he can share with UFC newcomer and training partner Yoshihiro Akiyama before he faces “The Talent” at UFC 100 in July.

“I believe he (Akiyama) is adapting to the cage, and he'll contribute in making the middleweight class deeper,” said Okami of his countryman. And while the 27-year old says that if asked he would fight his training partner (“If people so wish I would be willing to partake in the match. If the match is set, I'll do my best, as a professional.”), the real goal is a rematch with Silva, the man Okami holds a 2006 disqualification win over. And to his credit, Okami isn’t sitting on his status as the last man to beat the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world; he wants a clear-cut victory over Silva to be the one people talk about.

“The records say I won but I really lost the match,” said Okami of his first bout with Silva. “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.”

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