Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
Photo Courtesy of MMA Mania
John Heinis: Okami has more or less been a ghost in the fight world ever since soundly being defeated by Anderson Silva in a middleweight title bout at UFC 134 back in August.
Clearly, the UFC wants to see "Thunder" bounce back sooner than later against journeyman grappler Tim Boetsch.
Boestch has been defeated every time the competition has been upgraded (Vladimir Matyushenko, Matt Hamill, Jason Brillz and Phil Davis), while Okami has only lost to the best of the best (Silva, Chael Sonnen, Jake Shields and Rich Franklin to name a few), so this one just seems obvious.
Normally, I get nervous when a big name fighter is significantly favored over his opponent...but this isn't one of those times.
Yushin is just a hands down better fighter, and another stint training with Sonnen and Team Quest should serve him well here.
Yushin Okami via 2nd round KO (right cross)
Dwight Wakabayashi:Yushin Okami is the strongest and best fighter coming out of Japan today. He is currently ranked as a top-five middleweight on most world rankings right now.
Okami has strength not usually seen in an Asian fighter, and he blends it with technique to bully and control his opponents in the cage.
Okami has fought all the best in his weight class and has some notable recent wins over Mark Munoz and Nate Marquardt.
He is coming off a loss to Anderson Silva in his last match and will look to bounce back in impressive fashion in Japan against Tim Boetsch.
Boetsch is enjoying a resurgence in his career since he dropped down to the middleweight division and has two straight wins over Kendall Grove and Nick Ring to show for it.
Boetsch has never looked as impressive as he has at middleweight, but I don't think he can throw with Okami.
Yushin Okami via unanimous decision
Dale De Souza: Many think that, should only one Japanese fighter prevail on this card, aside from the victor of Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka, it will be Yushin Okami.
But, with the roll Tim Boetsch has been on ever since dropping to Middleweight and defeating the likes of Nick Ring and Kendall Grove, is it so far-fetched to think Okami might be in for a difficult fight?
After all, Boetsch is a big Middleweight who dropped to 185 after losing to Phil Davis at Light Heavyweight, and he's looked like he could eventually become a contender, whereas Yushin Okami is coming off of a loss to Anderson Silva in Rio.
Actually, now that we're mentioning it, Okami is actually a bit more well rounded than Boetsch, even despite the size difference, and Okami's really not that small for Middleweight in his own right.
Boetsch could just be the more powerful fighter, and that's why it'd be plausible to see Okami losing this fight, but he's never fought a fighter with the striking and the ability to tire opponents out the way Okami can.
You'll probably hear the reference to the fact of this card being in Japan a million times between now and the time of the actual fights, but imagine if you were fighting someone in your own hometown against a dude like Boetsch—would you want to drop that fight, even if Boetsch is a big dude?
No?
Neither would I, and whether you like Okami or not, he's got no intentions of losing this one either.
Yushin Okami by round 1 TKO (Punches)
Jeffrey McKinney: Yushin Okami is arguably one of the best fighters to ever come out of Japan.
Okami has only lost to Rich Franklin, Chael Sonnen, and Anderson Silva in his 13 UFC fights.
Okami was Silva’s latest victim, and would love another shot at the title.
His road back starts with Tim Boetsch.
Boetsch had a first go 'round with the UFC, going just 2-2.
His second go 'round with the UFC has gone better, as he has gone undefeated since dropping to middleweight.
Both Boetsch and Okami have a good wrestling background.
But Okami has faced tougher competition and should be looking to get back on top of his game after the tough loss to Silva.
Boetsch won’t go out easy though, so I see the fight going the full distance.
Yushin Okami by decision