Yushin Okami (thank you!) cut from the UFC

From MMAFighting

Kinda sucks, I still have him ranked at #6 in the division ... I guess this is a Fitch-you're-boring-and-high-paid-please-lose-and-gimme-an-excuse-to-cut-you kind of thing ...

Shame, I like Okami ...

New MW WSOF or Bellator champ.

@cal1 don't forget about one fc ....

ONE FC ‏@ONEFCMMA 8h

Who wants to see Yushin Okami in ONE FC?

That would be cool, he could fight much closer to home.

Whatever organization Okami ends up in he will be the middleweight champion.

Its either gonna be ONE FC or WSOF, Bellator would be a mistake, and WSOF needs talent at MW, so it only makes sense

*Honestly, I think Shlemenko can beat Okami, it would be a grinder, but he can outstrike him for 25 minutes deffinetly, while defending most of his takedowns. Now Okami would mow over David Branch, Mutapcic, and Jesse Taylor. I'd go with that option. ONE FC would be cool but who is he gonna fight? Melvin Manhoef? Not a great career move.

* Edited at 09.28.2013, 11:05 AM ET *

Have to agree with that assessment, NoJuice, though I'm not sure Shlemenko could beat him. Of course, anyone with serious speed and KO power is a live dog against Okami. Which is why Manhoef would definitely be a bad move, even if Okami has a 75% chance of winning. 

I think he should and will end up with World Series.

Agreed

While I don't like the UFC cutting people in the top 10, Okami has already peaked.  He's not a fan favorite, and he beats most of the up and comers.  I'm sure Okami will trounce anyone he fights in other organizations, and if the UFC goes back to Japan, there's a good chance he'll get his job back. 

I agree that Okami hit his peak and will never win a belt . But I dont see a problem with leaving him on the roster as a gatekeeper , hell he's above gatekeeper status right now . I think hes the guy you should face to see if you get a #1 contender fight. Okami has been loyal to the UFC for 8 years , hasnt run his mouth about Dana or pay like Fitch. He hasnt lost 2 in a row or 3 in a row or 4 in a row (Dan Hardy) or even 12 in a row (Leonard Garcia) He lost 1 fight against a guy who I think will take Vitors Championship fight hopes away next and make him cry more.

He's not the most exciting fighter but hes a warrior , hes fought some crazy strikers and taken most of what they could dish out. He beat Lombard which im sure will end up saving the UFC some money when his contract get re negotiated. And like others have said he will be a good draw for any Japan shows. I think cutting a top 10 fighter is a joke . I could understand Fitch getting cut even though it was wrong because he had bad blood with Dana and he came off of an embarassing KO and got rode like horse by Maia. also Fitch hadnt won by anything but DEC since 2007. Okami at least has stoppages against Linhares and Roberts in the last 3 years.

I guess we will just have to get used to it , It looks like it will become the norm.

but he should been in tuf to out

Considering Okami has been a top 10 fighter for almost a decade, a title challenger and has wins over BelcherX2, Hector Lombard, Mark Munoz, Nate Marquardt and has fought some of the biggest UFC poster boys like Rich Franklin and Anderson Silva we should be *****ing about how little the UFC is paying this guy, its still almost unthinkable he was cut. 

Also Danas ******** hypocritical reasoning is so ******* stupid its jusy sad to think how pejhfople can defend him in cutting Yushin whos better than 90% of their MW roster. Im waiting for Hatsu Hioki to get cut and to hear all the UFC fans say he wasnt UFC material while being ignorant to the fact he fought 3 straight top 10 FWs and the three losses were literally all controversial decisions. Anything sound wrong with that or is it just me?

I dont even think Okami is over the hill, if Boetsch didnt pull off that christmas miracle of an upset no one would even be claiming such things. I cant wait for people to either claim Okami is a UFC reject if h losses ou

An interesting point of view on the subject.

The Ballad of Yushin Okam / Ben Fowlkes

I'm not saying whether I'm on board with this, but Ben Fowlkes has always been one of my favourite MMA writers and always tries to shed a new perspective on things where most MMA writers (if you can call them that) are banal, cliché and repetitive of each other (I'm talking about you Jonathan Snowden and Jeremy Botter).

It's worth a read.

He just signed to WSOF
http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/10/13/4835236/yushin-okami-signs-with-world-series-of-fighting

That is genuinely neat. 

Awesome. I hope he doesn't "pull a Fitch" and go from being one of the best in the UFC in his weight-class to losing in a smaller promotion .. I want to see him strapping some gold around his waist very soon, there was a reason Chael's mama didn't shoot him and that was for him to get a belt :)))