Yushin Okami's Future In MMA

  So I still haven't gotten over Okami being cut from the ufc and last nights fights have stirred up some repressed feelings.  WHY THE **** DID UFC RELEASE HIM?  I understand the "he's a gatekeeper" argument but really, out of all the gatekeepers they could have cut, they choose to cut one of the better ones, coming off of one loss to ******* Jacare.  Plus he's not only Japanese, he's one of the best Japanese mma fighters to ever live,  which really could have helped them, break into the Japanese mma market which the UFC is lacking severly.  That being said,  I really hope WSOF takes advantage of the UFCs mistake.  I Strongly believe Okami is the best middleweight in the WSOF, and takes there middleweight belt easy.  That gives them a great shot at marketing to the Japanese, and start having Okami defend the title in japan.  WSOF makes mad yen, Okami gets the respect he deserves and a title, japan gets a new champion and it gets more exposer towestern mma. Its a win win...win win win situation.

They'll probably resign Okami after a few wins. He may have wanted too much money, idk the details of his contract.

I absolutely disagreed with the cut but I think it may be what Okami needed. He has looked tentative and hasn't trusted his boxing (at one time was some of the best in the division) since the Boetsch fight, he needs a few confidence boosters. I'm not sure how his contract in the UFC was but I would imagine he could make pretty close to it being champ in WSOF, especially considering he was probably in for a paycut had the UFC kept him. 
So he makes good money fighting easier comp, but there are also good matchups out there for him; Bellator is letting Shlemenko fight his next fight out of the org (against a WW though) so idk if they would let him fight someone as dangerous as Okami, if they can work something with KSW he could fight Mamed, Materla, Silva, etc, and then in WSOF itself Branch and Taylor would be solid matchups. Those might be the kinds of fights he needs to settle for because I doubt the UFC picks him back up unless he absolutely demolishes everyone in exciting fashion.


Also as far as breaking into Japan, Okami was never a real big draw there and I doubt it has changed much now, he's liked and well respected (especially among the other Japanese fighters) but I don't see him making any sizable push on the general fans.

* Edited at 03.30.2014, 2:01 PM ET *

I don't think he'll ever go back to the UFC. They have an abundance of talent and up in comers. Also if WSOF stays in business for the future, Okami will stay there and likely be one of faces of the company until he retires. He'll never be a champion in the UFC, but WSOF he can and likely will be. Why not stay a champ in a smaller, but known organization and make some good money along the way.

Also, there's travelling much less to the US and working for someone you know appreciates your talent as opposed to someone you know that, even if he signs you again, isn't a "fan of your work" and will drop you the minute you're not "worth your salary in entertainment value" again.

Even if Okami ends up KOing everyone not signed in the UFC and they offer him another chance I see him "pulling an Aoki" and staying at WSOF.

While I think most of us disagreed with the UFC cutting Okami, I don't think they will ever welcome him back, regardless of his wins.  His style is simply not what the UFC believes their fans enjoy watching.  For the same reason they cut Jon Fitch and passed on signing Ben Askren.

Plus his contracted salary of $42K to show and $42K more to win was not perceived as 'in line' with his perceived drawing power.

Even though I find that sad, life goes on.  Royce Gracie, Demian Maia, Jake Shields, Jon Fitch and Mark Coleman all proved long, long ago that master ground fighters can be proven winners and the public accepted them. 

I also find it a little sad that the UFC has seemingly given up on the fans coming to appreciate master ground fighters.  I give the fans a heck of a lot more credit than that.  I think the UFC is just wrong about that.

I wonder what WSOF is paying him.  Has anyone read anything online?

* Edited at 03.30.2014, 5:27 PM ET *

Okami is set to fight for WSOF in Japan on August 2. Opponent TBA, but it will be the headlining fight.

No MW outside the UFC has anything for him, except MAYBE Khabilov. 

You mean Khalidov

Who are WSOF's top MW's?  David Branch & Jesse Taylor?

Probably the 3 best aside from Okami, who are not in the UFC, are Khalidov, Schlemenko, & Materla.  2 not leaving KSW for WSOF and the Bellator champ.

August 2nd, WSOF Japan: Okami vs. Sapp

Has a nice ring to it?

Okami is a top 10 middleweight and the UFC is an ******* for cutting him!

Sapp is retired I think but it would be cool if Okami could go on a world tour and collect some titles. Like @Kbro said ^^ win the WSOF belt then a trip to Poland, steal the KSW title from Materla. Maybe win One FC gold against Askren in a catchweight super (boring) fight, while he is in Asia visit Road FC and beat ***uda for another MW title. Go bear riding with Putin in Russia and after that take the M-1 belt from Ramazan Emeev or probably Vyacheslav Vasilevsky by then.

Would be even cooler if the UFC would ask him back because he's so successful and Yushin would just say "Yushin Okami, thank you" and go to Bellator...

* Edited at 03.30.2014, 4:34 PM ET *

With Jesse Taylor vs. David Branch planned for the vacant WSOF MW title, Okami's next fight will probably come from Mutapcic, Perron, Doerksen, Filho, Villefort, McCray, Mladenov, Jacoby, Fadiora, Starnes, Gerald Harris, Jorge Santiago or if he went to 205 there's, Raphael Davis, Mike Kyle, Linderman & Tyrone Spong.  Regardless a win probably gets him the JT/Branch winner for the MW title.  If he's headlining in Japan in a #1 contender bout I'm not sure who would make the most sense.  Or JT or Branch get "injured" and he headlines for the title.

* Edited at 03.30.2014, 5:22 PM ET *

@die  That last post you made was so way wicket cool I take back all the **** I wrote about you before.

Wish the same thing happens with Fitch, Cyborg and Askren.  Make themselves irresistible records like Jake Shields and Hector Lombard did, and then thumb their noses at the UFC.  Torture Dana White like Fedor did. 

Bring true competition back to the MMA market for fighters.

* Edited at 03.30.2014, 5:39 PM ET *

I hope he stays with WSOF because I like to see him finish fights. 

Okami's situation reminds me of when then-President George W. Bush invited the champions of the NIT college basketball tournament to the White House.

I was like, you mean you get to go to the Rose garden for finishing 65th?  (The NCAA had a 64-team field at the time).

Similarly, if Okami does win the WSOF belt, a case can be made for his being the 59th best middleweight in the world - since the last time I checked anyway, the UFC had 58 middleweights on their roster (hopefully Rashad will make it 59 before too long).