It appears as if Yushin Okami might finally get his long awaited, well-deserved title shot. This announcement comes in spite of the previous assumption by many that a GSP/Silva super-fight was inevitable. As a long time critic of said super-fight the most recent revelation regarding the UFC’s return to Brazil was met with mixed emotions from myself. I had oddly come to terms with the inevitable clash of the two top pound for pound fighters. Still against it, I had worked myself up for the fight, somewhat excited almost. My excitement was easily laid to waste. Okami is far from a high-profile fighter but has been fighting his way to a title shot for years and it seems like he has gotten heir more than once. Injuries, speed bump loses, and a lack of popularity made Okami’s road more difficult than most. The fight might seem one sided on paper but Okami is not going to be a walk in the park.
My first instinct when hearing the news of this fight was to presume that Okami would get caught in the first round, making for a short night. However, after further consideration Okami’s success or potential thereof will depend largely on his game plan. Okami’s boxing has been steadily improving but engaging in a striking battle with Silva is not in anyone’s best interest. It is his wrestling that gives Okami the best chance to win the day, a wrestling game that has been dramatically improved since he moved in with Chael Sonnen for a short period after losing to him in 2009. Remember Sonnen? He is that guy that beat Silva up for four minutes and 50 seconds before falling victim to the most dramatic finish in the sports history. Okami will certainly be using the Sonnan blueprints when preparing for this fight but two things stand in his way, both stemming from simply not being as good a wrestler as his new grappling mentor. 1) Taking Silva down has never proven to be the most difficult task in the world, it’s the doing damage that gets you in trouble. Silva’s long arms and legs make sweeps and submissions a constant threat. Okami’s base will have to be solid as a rock to stay on tope. This will be on top of the fact that his attention will also need to remain on his submission defense at all times, just ask the last two wrestlers Silva fought. 2) Silva is a world-beater when it comes to his strikes. They are fast, accurate, and come from all different angles. If you want to take him down you have to pass through his strikes. As I said before, it has been done but Okami is not as experienced as some others who have gotten him down. He is going to need to change levels quickly and keep Silva guessing. This will be the ultimate test for his improved boxing (keeping his hands in proper position throughout the transition and the shoot) and his wrestling (changing levels quickly and securing a takedown while receiving little to no damage).
The more compelling part of this announcement is what it might mean for the biggest fight in the sports history and foreseeable future. Every sports nut at the bar that refers to MMA as “ultimate fighting” or “cage fighting” knows who GSP and Anderson Silva are. They know that they are the two best fighters in the world. And most of them know that there is a chance they could fight. Dana White and the UFC have teased the fight more than once but every time the last roadblock is about to fall they seem to put another one up. This most recent block does not mean the demise of the fight. The one thing to keep in mind when predicting what may or may not happen in the fight world is timing. Silva vs Okami will happen in August. Assume that Silva will get at least 5-7 months off for his fight. GSP fights in April and they may even want him to fight again in September. He would get at least the same amount of time off. If they got GSP to fight in September they could still put together a super fight for the “Super Bowl Weekend” card. If they didn’t ask GSP to fight again at all they could move their “Year End” card to mid January (they have done it before) and put the fight on that card. It is not out of the question that the fight could be booked on just any ol’ event, assuming the location was right. Canada is probably the most likely location, followed by Vegas. One way or another they want to put it somewhere they can maximize profits. To make a long story short, this isn’t the end of the super fight but it is a fairly significant blow to it. One has to wonder if the Jon Jones hype has made Dana White rethink what he may ask Silva to do or weather they have just decided the time isn’t right for GSP to move up and fight The Spider.
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