In the world of MMA there are a number of qualities and skills a fighter can possess to force the opinion of the public in their favor. That public opinion being paramount in the opportunities a fighter may come across.
There is one fighter in particular that has suffered the down side of that fact. In Yushin Okami the UFC holds a contract over an extremely succesful, yet difficult to market fighter.
For those who don’t know, Okami has fought some very tough names in the sport ranging from Mike Swick to the late Evan Tanner with great success. He has fought former champ Rich Franklin, and took “Ace” the distance, losing the decision.
Okami holds a dubious win over current MW champ Anderson Silva due to Silva’s disqualification for illegal strikes. This is not a bragging point in his career but is worth noting for the sake of the topic.
Yushin was scheduled to fight Anderson Silva at UFC 90. Finally, after a long fought battle in the UFC, Okami was to get his title shot that he so quietly earned.
Unfortunately for his camp and apparently his career, Okami broke his hand in training and Patrick Cote stepped in to fight the champ. Resulting in a less than compelling match up that ended in a bizarre knee injury to Cote following a less than riveting display of caution.
Since that time Okami has fought and won once. As has the MW champ. Yet even with the previous scheduling for the two to meet, it seems Okami will be put on further hold with regard to his title shot dreams. Silva seems destined to meet a line of opponents that have already been determined in some way shape or form.
This is directly related to the UFC pressing to market Silva and push him to prove his worth as a pound for pound champ. Not to mention just motivating the highly talented Silva to even mentally get into a fight. The UFC has bigger fish to fry it seems in pushing the pace for Silva. Those plans do not include Yushin Okami.
No big deal right? No one is losing sleep over Okami not getting his shot, and in some ways that is understandable. In many ways though, it is quite a slap in the face to someone who has been as succesful in the sport and in particular the UFC as Okami has been.
Consider a few numbers for a moment. Okami’s overall record is 23-4. Okami’s last 17 fights show him with a record of 15-2. In the UFC Okami has gone 7-1, with his only loss coming at the hands of Franklin.
Here is the kicker, in the UFC alone, Okami’s opponants carried an overall record of 122-36 at the time they fought him. Again he has only lost to one of them.
If this guy was a rock star type like Junie Browing or Tito Ortiz, he may already have fought Silva. He may already be our new champion. He also may have been but yet another victim of the web the Spider weaves.
No way to know for sure, but one thing is certain. If Brock Lesnar can walk in the building and 20 minutes later fight for the HW championship, Yushin Okami has solidified himself as contender to the MW belt without a doubt. The way things are shaping up, it could take a year for him to realistically get that shot, if at all.
Why the hesitation on the part of the UFC?
Simply put, non marketable. Heavens forbid this guy comes in and possibly beats Silva and becomes the UFC MW champ. There is no money in it. Hard to believe if you consider the UFC’s aspirations for a more globalized approach that a Japanese champion would not hold value in a sport built on martial arts.
Sadly the fans are fickle, and sometimes prefer the rock stars to the overall talent offered in the sport. Sometimes being a great fighter just isn’t enough.
From a business perspective, of course the UFC wants to put together fights that compel the viewer, that wet the appetite for big names clashing, that bling.
From a level playing field perspective, Okami is long overdue and really being brushed under the rug by the UFC. He has earned a title shot, become injured, and at this point become a non issue in the division. Simply put it is a shame, and detriment to the sport that a fighter can have that much success and be an afterthought when it comes to challenging the champ who so desperately needs a challenge.
This guy carries the same record as Rich Franklin minus one win. Rich Franklin is a spectacle in the sport. A fan favorite, who is marketed as such. Always in the spot light and always blown up. Okami barely gets honorable mention for his efforts in the sport and again in the UFC.
The business side is understood, but the disregard for such a great fighter is hard to grasp. If nothing else, the UFC should be putting Okami into the spot light to at least further showcase him to the fans, so when the time is right, he will not be a stranger standing across the ring from whoever the champ may be at the time.
That time may never come if the UFC continues to disregard this mans talent for the sake of marketing more like-able fighters. One thing that is certain. There are more than a couple compelling match ups the UFC could put on with Okami and other fighters. Ranging from Maia to Marquardt, Kang to Sonnen.
These are all fighters who carry names that intrigue while providing the talent to test and really prove this theory that Okami is top shelf in this game.
Perhaps if they took that road of pitting him against more marketable fighters and he continues his success, maybe then he will be deemed worthy of the title shot he already earned so long ago. The same title shot that is no where in sight as of this moment.
Bottom line, even if the UFC is going to over look Okami as a immediate contender to the throne of the MW division, they at the very least must showcase the man on main fight cards when possible, against the top talent he deserves, in the spot light he has earned.
At the bare minimum he has demanded that respect and diginity with his efforts and accomplishments in the sport. It is time for the UFC to listen up, and heed this mans demands. He might just surprise them and the fans alike.
