Yushin Okami: UFC 122 main event may be his last chance for title shot
Japanese middleweight (185lb) mixed martial artist Yushin “Thunder” Okami is gearing up for an opportunity that he hasn’t had in some time. He'll be fighting for the opportunity to gain a shot at the Ultimate
Fighting Championships’ middleweight title.
In an interview with UFC.com, released Wednesday, 3 November, Okami revealed he thought it could be his last shot for a title.
"All of the UFC fights are important to me. But this fight is very important to me because it's a doorway for a title shot. I’m looking at this fight as my last chance."
Okami had the opportunity of fighting for a title shot just once before in 2007, in the main event of UFC 72 in Belfast, Northern Ireland against Rich Franklin. During that fight, Okami didn’t make the
most of his opportunity, allowing himself to lose the first two uneventful rounds before turning in on in the third round, nearly submitting Franklin, but ultimately losing the decision.
Okami said he wasn’t going to make the same mistake this time around when he fights Nate Marquardt on 13 November in Oberhausen, Germany in the main event of UFC 122.
"When I walk into the Octagon, I’m telling myself, I'm going to leave everything I have in the Octagon."
Okami, at 25-5, is known for his strong wrestling and recently improved boxing. His controlled method of wrestling earned him the label of a boring fighter, despite his record of 9-2 in the UFC. It also
hasn't helped him earn any high-profile fights or a title shot. But it was a highly impressive and entertaining display of crisp boxing against Lucio Linhares that set him back on the road to a title shot. Okami has taken the lesson to heart, and insists him
and Marquardt will give a good fight for the fans.
"Marquardt and I can show the fans what real mixed martial arts are. I think people will be able to see an excellent exhibition of mixed martial arts."
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