UFC 134: Rio... WATCH IT!

While watching UFC on Versus 5 I heard the following conversation:

Drunk Man 1: Who is Silva fighting next?

Drunk Man 2: That Japanese guy… Okami

Drunk Man 1: Oh you gotta be kidding me!

Simple enough, but it is clearly indicative of a larger consensus of many, if not most, mma fans: Okami doesn’t deserve to fight Silva. There is one problem; Okami is a different ballgame all together for the best pound for pound fighter in the world. He has the potential to ruin the nights of countless fans in Rio as the UFC returns to Brazil. Between the electric atmosphere, the all-star lineup and the potential fireworks, UFC 134 is not one to miss here are five reasons not to tune in.

5. The Return of Big Nog – Big Nog is the stuff of legends. Has he lost? Yes. Have his peers fallen from grace putting his legacy in some question? Yes. The fact of the matter is, you never bet against Big Nog. Before being an all around fighter was cool Big Nog was meshing top tier Brazilian Ju Jitsu with crisp boxing and a resilience that seemed super-human. Plagued by injury, our hero finally returns to Brazil for what might be one final stand against rising star, Brendan Schaub. Schaub will be stronger and faster but my eyes are on Nogueira. I want to see if he still has what it takes to fend off up and coming talent from the next generation.

4. Does Forrest Still Care – Forrest Griffin is easy to love. He is charismatic, blue collar, and he refuses to quit. Which is why some of the recent press about him has been somewhat confusing. Speculation has run a bit ramped that he doesn’t care as much as he use to, at least not about this fight. It kind of makes sense considering I always got the impression that Griffin fought because he was a fighter, not driven by some burning desire for championship glory or passion to be the best ever. His devil-may-care attitude doesn’t help much and wont inspire rowdy support. Don’t expect him to be any less the fighter in the cage for it though. I remain a believer that Griffin still quite a few fights left in him and he will be out to show that his first win over Shogun was no fluke

3. The Sonnan Factor – For those of you who missed it Chael Sonnan has been all over the place since determining his return date to the UFC. Given that his next opponent has been painted a military hero it wouldn’t behoove him go with the routine ridicule so he is turning his attention back to Anderson Silva (and the Nogueira brothers), mocking them incessantly every time a microphone is shoved in his face. The original title of this section was going to ask if Sonnan would show up like he promised, being that he trains with Okami. However, that question has been answered and it seems now that Okami will be without the brash trash talker, citing requests from his own sponsors and warnings from the police directed at Sonnan. It is probably for the best but don’t think for one second that Okami isn’t going to receive some of the residual effects. Prepare yourself for the most one-sided crowd in UFC history.

2. Can Shogun Avenge His Lose – Shogun came into the UFC one of the most highly touted fighters in history. He was said to be the greatest light heavyweight of all time, one of the greatest pound for pound fighters ever, and the future of the sport. He would later go on to win the light heavyweight title but first he would run into Forrest Griffin and experience one of the most flooring upsets this fan can remember. Many consider Shogun the favorite in the rematch but not a whole lot has changed in terms of how these fighters size up against one another, literally. Forrest is still a big, rangy fighter who is going to have advantages using his size. However, Shogun should be in a better shape. He should be quicker to the punch and less likely to lose his edge as the fight goes on. Shogun Rua’s lose to Jon Jones still rings in the ears of some MMA fans and resonates as the coming of Jones for all. He needs a win badly to prove he still belongs at 205 pounds.

1. Anderson Silva vs Yushin Okami – I alluded to the possibility of an upset earlier. That was not merely a teaser to get people interested in this fight. In fact I am quite tempted to go out on a limb and pick Okami in this fight. Anderson Silva will have the advantage standing, as he does with everyone he faces. If he is 100% healthy there might not be a person in the world that can get close enough to take him down and Silva’s terrifying hands or his maddening patience will likely win the day. However… and this is a big “however,” Yushin Okami might be the perfect match-up against the champ. If you watched Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnan you know that it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Silva can be taken down, held down, and beat up by a strong wrestler. Okami may not have pedigree that Sonnan has but he has been training with Sonnan for over two years and he is bigger and stronger. Okami out wrestled Mark Munoz , who’s credentials are unmatched for a wrestler in the division. And you remember how Silva was able to overcome Sonnan with that last minute submission. True, Silva has a BJJ black belt and he is quite skilled, but Sonnan’s notoriously bad submission defense didn’t hurt either. As bad as Sonnan is at defending submissions, Okami is good. The blueprint is there; the opportunity is ripe. Yushin Okami has waited longer than anyone in recent memory for his title shot and now it’s staring him in the face. As a fan who has seen every Silva fight in the UFC it is almost impossible to pick against him, unthinkable even. However, Yushin Okami may just be the right fighter in the right place at the right time to dethrone the king.