The Second Best Fight on the UFC 104 Card Isn't on the Pay Per View
by Kid Nate on Oct 23, 2009 8:30 PM EDT
in News
80 comments
Michael David Smith makes the case:
Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen is Saturday night's second-best fight, at least if you judge the quality of the fight based on how highly ranked the competitors are. In Bloody Elbow's consensus rankings, Okami is the fourth-best middleweight in the world and Sonnen is 10th. No other fight on the card even features one Top 10 fighter, let alone two Top 10 fighters against each other.
And yet the UFC, which is showing seven live fights on Saturday night between pay-per-view and Spike TV, for some reason isn't showing Okami vs. Sonnen. It makes no sense.
I've never understood why the UFC doesn't promote Okami, who has won seven of his eight UFC bouts and was the last fighter to beat middleweight champion Anderson Silva, when Silva was disqualified in their 2006 fight for an illegal kick. I also think Sonnen, who's smart and articulate, is an easy fighter to promote. Okami vs. Sonnen should be one of the marquee fights on this card.
Chael Sonnen has been reduced to openly speculating that the UFC has a contract dispute with Okami. There really isn't another explanation for this.
Ok, there is one. The UFC thinks Okami is deadly dull. They once made the mistake of putting him in the top fight on a card (UFC 72) and it was a snoozer. They're also afraid he could beat Anderson Silva and become the least popular and least lucrative UFC champion since Murilo Bustamante -- and that was in the pre-TUF era.
But really, when they're about to foist two fights with overwhelming odds of being lay and pray snooze fests on the PPV audience (Stevenson vs Fisher, Tibau vs Neer), I just don't see the point of burying Okami vs Sonnen. These are two top fighters who present an intriguing stylistic match-up (wrestler vs wrestler/judoka) that often results in fireworks. And if Okami keeps winning they're eventually going to have to offer him a title shot, better to promote him in advance of that dark day.
Or just cut the crap and admit this isn't a sport so much as it is a spectacle.
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Someone give that man a title shot so that Silva can ko him and we’ll be done with this
by Shaun32887 on Oct 23, 2009 8:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I don’t think the UFC really wants to take a chance at Okami winning as crazy as that may seem, I mean they already saw GSP getting shocked by Serra but Okami would be 100% worse for the UFC.
"Did you feel you did well against Lindland?" "
Hell no.. I wanted to break the law"
---Rampage
by TearsofaClown on Oct 23, 2009 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Okami Title Shot Bandwagon is an odd one, I mean this is the guy that got comprehensively outstruck and nearly KO’d on 3 separate occasions by Mike Swick – Anderson would blitz him.
by An0nymous on Oct 23, 2009 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
that fight also ended with Swick on his back
taking a beating.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Oct 23, 2009 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well actually it ended with Okami on his back IIRC, not that it really alters my point either way.
by An0nymous on Oct 23, 2009 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That said I do of course think this should be on the main card.
by An0nymous on Oct 23, 2009 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We all know how the Silva Okami fight ended as well...
(I will use any excuse to post this gif)
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Oct 24, 2009 3:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
that move should NOT be illegal
I think any kick off your back should be legal.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Oct 24, 2009 8:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Absolutely agree.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Oct 24, 2009 8:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Another thing in common with pro-wrestling.
by nottheface on Oct 23, 2009 8:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
As I always say :)
"Why am I here? Why does my mind have wings? Why do blue midgets hit me with fish?!" - The Tick
by mythbuster on Oct 23, 2009 10:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But really, when they’re about to foist two fights with overwhelming odds of being lay and pray snooze fests on the PPV audience (Stevenson vs Fisher, Tibau vs Neer), I just don’t see the point of burying Okami vs Sonnen.
That’s really the big thing for me. If the card was stacked with potential highlight KOs and stand up brawls, I could at least see, from a business perspective, whey Okami’s on the undercard again. But, especially now that Neer’s replaced Sherk, who would rather watch the Neer/Tibau fight?
by kid_eh on Oct 23, 2009 8:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Same here. Sherk/Tibau was a weird enough choice (for a fight and for a main card bout), and Tibau/Neer is even weirder. Both guys are coming off of losses to boot.
by JRN on Oct 23, 2009 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tibau and Neer over these two who in the hell decides who is going to be on the main card… They need there fing brain checked…
"I'm going to punch faces." -Wandy
by Donkey P3cker on Oct 23, 2009 8:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Tibau seems to be on every 3rd UFC card
October 11th, 2009: The day Justin Forsett became loved by Seahawks fans forever.
by SSreporters on Oct 23, 2009 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It happens in every sport. I remember back in 91 when the MLB replaced the low interest Twins-Braves World Series with a Oakland As-LA Dodgers’ series. Oh wait, they didn’t do that because the Twins and Braves earned their way there.
by nottheface on Oct 23, 2009 8:57 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Well to be fair when people go watch the UFC the expect it to be exciting but when people go watch Baseball they already know full well that it’s going to be boring. =P
"Did you feel you did well against Lindland?" "
Hell no.. I wanted to break the law"
---Rampage
by TearsofaClown on Oct 23, 2009 9:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
LOL
Exactly…
All those years the NBA refused the San Antonio Spurs from playing the championship years because everyone hated them and they were boring…oh wait.
=)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Oct 23, 2009 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was actually going to go with the Spurs as my example, but I figured since it’s October to go with the baseball one instead.
by nottheface on Oct 23, 2009 9:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
doesn't the fact that they're doing the 2 prelim fights on spike...
… actually IMPROVE the chance of this getting shown on the ppv?
by woooburn on Oct 23, 2009 9:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Man i hope and pray i get to see this fight on the broadcast…I don’t know how many people agree with me but Okami is one of my favourite fighters. Just cause he can impose his will on others and you can’t stop him. It’s ridculous when we Two TOP 10 fighters can’t even make it on the Spike broacast. I cringe to think this is becoming more and more like WWE.
by pRoXiMo on Oct 23, 2009 9:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I like him too
he’s inexorable. If that fight with Franklin had been 5 rounds, he’d have won. He won the 3rd round hands down.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Oct 23, 2009 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is all true, but whose fault is it that he didn’t fight at all for the first two rounds?
It was a 3 round fight. He knew it in advance. Whether he would have won under different rules doesn’t matter.
With two fights on Spike, he actually has a better chance of getting on TV. All he has to do is have a decent fight and he’ll make it.
by Michael Rome on Oct 23, 2009 9:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
to be honest...
… I’ve always thought that the Franklin fight should have been a draw. Franklin out pointed him the first two rounds and then got mauled in round 3. If only judges in north america would award 10-8 rounds, things may be different today.
Anyway, with that said, Okami is wasting away in the UFC. He should go back to Japan and get the respect he deserves. I mean for a long time there he was the number 2 middle weight in the world, behind Anderson Silva of course, but we wouldn’t know it because he’s been on un aired prelims forever.
by exsanguinator on Oct 24, 2009 4:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The bottom line is that as long as this is a sport where people have to pay to see it, entertainment will always be a major factor. People don’t pay to see the NBA finals. Anyone making the comparison between the two without acknowledging the difference is being intellectually dishonest.
(Note: this is referring to ridiculous posts above, not the lead post.)
by Michael Rome on Oct 23, 2009 9:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
"People don’t pay to see the NBA finals"
Huh?
BOOSH
by Farthammer on Oct 23, 2009 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What is it you don’t get? Obviously I’m not referring to the small amount of people in the building. The entire broadcast model is based on free television with advertising. The UFC’s entire business model is based on getting people to pay 50 dollars to see it. Well over 99% of the people who watch the NBA finals watch it on free television.
by Michael Rome on Oct 23, 2009 9:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not trying to by snide, but if the NBA wanted to make sure it made more money off it’s next tv contract it would have made sure their rating were higher by making sure Cleveland was in the finals against LA.
ufc4 isn’t around so I’m filling in.
by nottheface on Oct 23, 2009 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s not snide, it’s more like willful blindness to something that should be obvious to you.
by Michael Rome on Oct 23, 2009 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I understood and actually agreed with your argument about the need to include entertainment into the factoring, it was just too good of sardonic reply to not to make.
by nottheface on Oct 23, 2009 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I admit I’m over reacting but that is because this is one of those issues that touch a nerve with me. It goes to the very core of how we can label this a sport compared to merely entertainment. If a fighter who continues to win by the rules can be kept permanently on undercard after undercard depriving him of exposure, money, and eventually an opportunity to earn a title-shot, what is the point of even having a title? Now I am not saying that Okami is the #1 contender right now, but he’s done everything asked of him and seems nowhere closer to becoming it. It’s almost as if Zuffa is trying to bury him in hopes that he eventually loses and is forgotten.
In any other sport, besides mma’s sister sport of boxing, the best move on. In golf Tiger Woods is by far the best player, but he doesn’t always compete in the finals. Often a practical unknown competes. In tennis the same. In the NFL the 2005 Pittsburg Steelers make the playoffs as a wild card team and are able to go on and win the Superbowl. Why? Because they beat everyone. That’s the way it should go, but not in mma.
Now I’m not so dreamy-eyed to say we can rip up the whole system we have, nor that the UFC should not worry about ppv buys, but I don’t think it’s two much too ask for them to broadcast two top 10 fighters going at it.
God I need a drink.
by nottheface on Oct 23, 2009 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
two much too ask
too much to ask
Shit, I do need a drink.
by nottheface on Oct 23, 2009 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s also worth noting that we have a promotional title. He really hasn’t done “all that is asked of him” the UFC routinely makes it clear to fighters they’d rather see them lose a good fight than win a crappy fight. I think you can have reasonable quarrels with that policy, but the UFC doesn’t hide the ball on that issue. If Okami/Sonnen is anything like Okami/Lister, that dude may never get on a main card again.
by Michael Rome on Oct 23, 2009 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
See this is the core of what is my pet peeve. The UFC is the NFL of mma, right? It is where the best come to prove themselves, right? Yet, they don’t really want the best, they want the most entertaining? I can’t imagine the NFL punishing 2001 Baltimore because there wasn’t enough scoring in their games. Forget pro-wrestling, the UFC is more like Rollerball.
by nottheface on Oct 23, 2009 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Are you just realizing this?
There is nowhere near enough demand to support a pure sports version of MMA. This is why everyone who tries it fails.
It’s inherent in fight sports on PPV. When you ask people to pay for your product, and your model depends on them paying to stay in and watch on Saturday night, you have to give them something they want.
The UFC is closer to a movie studio than anything else, except they are promoting real competition. Movie studios do not go out and try to find the absolute best actors and actresses to fill roles in big movies. If an ugly girl delivers an amazing monologue, it’s not going to earn her a huge part in a summer blockbuster. It’s a combination of skill and marketability.
Really, the UFC does more for the pure sport aspect of things than they really need to. Bringing back Chuck Liddell next to fight Lyoto Machida would make more money than anything they can do, but they won’t do it. They play a balancing game.
One day (hopefully) enough people will care about MMA that it can survive on a free model according to pure sports and skill. We’re nowhere near that day.
by Michael Rome on Oct 23, 2009 10:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No I do realize it. And I understand, or at least partially, understand the necessity of it( In fact, your very analogy to a movie study I have used many times), but that still doesn’t take away from the fact that it bugs me.
And partly that could be do to something else that has been slowly dawning on me. which is that mma may never reach that day. That it’s very popularity may have more to do with the spectacle of violence than any interest in real world use of martial arts. That it’s growth will be with the crowd clamoring for more blood and more knockouts over those who want to see the best test themselves. That it will be more Sherdog than Bloody Elbow. Go to any bar and tell me that’s not what you see. It’s like being aware of movies in the 70’s and seeing how great they could be, but being left with the knowledge that what we have now is probably how it will always be.
And that gnaws at me.
Anyways I’m going to go get drunk, watch the fights tomorrow night and maybe even catch some Japanese freak match involving Overeem and a special needs student. Have a good weekend.
by nottheface on Oct 23, 2009 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I agree. So many of my friends are big MMA fans, in the sense that they get every PPV. But if a fight lacks slugging, or goes to the ground, it’s “boring.”
And they are all recent fans brought on by TUF. I imagine there are thousands more like that. We most certainly might not ever see that day.
BOOSH
by Farthammer on Oct 23, 2009 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think there’s a very good chance MMA will never reach that incredible point of mainstream saturation. It’s very hard to say.
To me, the real story is the money waiting at the gates. It’s like a dam ready to break. I was speaking with an executive at one of the huge sponsorship companies yet to get into the MMA game, they’re still on the fence, and he mentioned that we’re really yet to see the equivalent of the Tiger Woods/Nike deal in MMA. Once that money pours into the sport, if it does, the endorsements and publicity that comes with it could lead to the next explosion.
by Michael Rome on Oct 23, 2009 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know that for a fact. Several clients of mine were talking about doing deals with mma fighters (no mmalogic mystery – I run a post facility in LA). One specifically talked about doing a fitness product with GIna Carano. Earlier in the year she was not recognizable enough for them. Now, they almost have to beg her to let them produce the infromercials and spots with her. And several others are talking about the same thing, how they can use UFC fighters. A year ago I never would have had that discussion.
Oh, and for those looking for Fedor spots this weekend, my ex at CBS says expect one spot for each half and one for the pregame. Next week they’ll move up to one a quarter.
by nottheface on Oct 23, 2009 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I've seen quite a few over the last week or so
BOOSH
by Farthammer on Oct 24, 2009 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Earlier in the year she was not recognizable enough for them. Now, they almost have to beg her to let them produce the infromercials and spots with her.
That’s odd since the most high profile thing she has done this year is get her ass beat in the first round.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Oct 24, 2009 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Here’s how the actual conversation went:
- Do you know he Gina Carano is?
- Yes. She’s a female fighter. She just lost a big fight.
- Yeah. I know. Do you think she’s attractive?
- She wasn’t bad looking before the other girl fucked her up.
by nottheface on Oct 24, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And before anyone starts asking me for any inside information, I’ve got none. I work in post production – which is basically finishing the stuff up after all the decisions have made. But as purely anecdotal evidence it does suggest it is becoming more mainstream. Never before would a client talk to me about using Kenny Florian in a spot.
by nottheface on Oct 24, 2009 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
To be fair he hasnt permanetly kept on the undercard
In his last 4 fights he made the main event of UFC 72 for the #1 contendership and lost to Rich Franklin. Then he was on the undercard of UFC 77 and beat MacDonald then they put him back on the main card for UFC 82 and he beat Tanner then back on the undercard for UFC 92 which keep in mind was stacked but I guess you could make the argument he deserved to be on there and now UFC 104 where he is unfairly relegated to the undercard.
by bigdmmafan on Oct 23, 2009 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Okami would have had his title shot if he didn’t get hurt, that’s not Joe Silva or Dana White’s fault. Should he be buried on the undercard? Probably not but life isn’t always fair.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Oct 24, 2009 12:06 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
The UFC isnt the only one that does this
the NFL, NBA, and MLB do it but they have a system in place where if you win and make the playoff’s you cant be ignored.
When is the last time you saw the Buccaneers in a national NFL game, the Pirates in a national MLB game, or the Bobcats in a national NBA game. You dont.
They ignore “boring teams” just like the UFC ignores “boring fighters” but they have a better system that as long as you win you cant eventually get your recognition with the playoffs.
In Okami’s case they are kind of screwing themselves because he keeps winning and they wont put him on the main stage or against tough opponents and please save me your comments about how MacDonald, Tanner, and Lister are “tough”.
If Okami wins and Hendo leaves the UFC needs to just eat it match up Marquadt/Okami and make that the #1 contendership and hope Marquardt wins and if he doesnt do Silva/Okami and hope Silva wins. And if by chance Okami beats Nate and Anderson then you deal with it and either market him or find someone that can beat him that you can market better.
by bigdmmafan on Oct 23, 2009 9:46 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Those aren't boring teams you mentioned. Those are "suck-ass at everything" teams.
October 11th, 2009: The day Justin Forsett became loved by Seahawks fans forever.
by SSreporters on Oct 23, 2009 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
As SSreporters says, those aren’t boring teams, they’re losing teams. You see boring teams on national TV all the time as long as they win.
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.
by FRANKIE on Oct 24, 2009 1:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Isn't it good that it's not on the ppv?
That way it will be on the free spike prelims, eh?
"Why am I here? Why does my mind have wings? Why do blue midgets hit me with fish?!" - The Tick
by mythbuster on Oct 23, 2009 10:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I don’t think that’s one of the two fights that will be airing.
by dv8shun on Oct 23, 2009 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I bet you when Hardonk gets obliterated
Okami/Sonnen will be put in there for filler.
October 11th, 2009: The day Justin Forsett became loved by Seahawks fans forever.
by SSreporters on Oct 23, 2009 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What? These are the only top two competitors on the card???
Ummm i’m pretty sure Machida and Shogun are top ten. Did I just misunderstand??
by J_Maddux on Oct 23, 2009 11:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That confused me too....
Aren’t Rothwell and Cain both top 10? Maybe he ment on the undercard they are the only top 10 guys. I’m stoned so I’m not sure. Since you said it, now I think I’m not so stoned.
by Dexerion on Oct 23, 2009 11:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
both ben and cain are outside the top 10 in the rankings referenced.
by woooburn on Oct 24, 2009 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen is Saturday night’s second-best fight, at least if you judge the quality of the fight based on how highly ranked the competitors are.
"Did you feel you did well against Lindland?" "
Hell no.. I wanted to break the law"
---Rampage
by TearsofaClown on Oct 24, 2009 12:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Reading comprehention FTL
I suck at it.
by Dexerion on Oct 24, 2009 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Okami really hasn't beaten anyone good to get his inflated top 10 status.
He’s just beaten a bunch of lower teir fighters. Of course if you constantly give someone competition lower than them they are going to go on a winning streak. The only fighter that Okami fought that was legit was Rich and he lost. I’m sorry, when beating a current WW is your claim to fame I don’t think you deserve a MW title shot.
If Okami beat Hendo, Nate or even Maia I’d be on board for him getting a shot.
by Dexerion on Oct 23, 2009 11:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Okami has only 1 UFC win against a current UFC middleweight fighter – more than 3 years ago against current #24 ranked Belcher. If you throw out the DQ win over Silva and look at his entire career, Belcher is still his only win over a current top 25 middleweight.
From what I’m seen of pro-wrestling, the “evil promoter screwing a fighter out of his fair shot” story line is something that fans find very captivating.
by Jahbulon on Oct 24, 2009 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He has also beaten Tanner and gave Swick his second career loss and his only one in the UFC, not to mention the fact that he has only lost twice in the last 5 years and against some of the best in Franklin and Shields.
He may not be pretty to watch but he does beat everyone in his path and lesser fighters have gotten shots before him.
"Did you feel you did well against Lindland?" "
Hell no.. I wanted to break the law"
---Rampage
by TearsofaClown on Oct 24, 2009 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
With no offense intended
Kendall Grove also beat Tanner. The Tanner that Franklin beat is impressive. The before death Tanner that Okami and Grove beat not so much.
He had his chance at the title when he fought Rich Franklin and he lost and since that loss he has only fought 3 times which Henderson has fought 3 times as well, Nate 3 times and Vitor 3 times and I would argue that Hendo, Nate, and Vitor have all faced tougher competetion and won as well.
by bigdmmafan on Oct 24, 2009 12:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wouldn’t argue the fact that Hendo, Nate and Vitor should get a shot before Okami, I only have a issue with the fact that he is still on the under card and is never even thought of for a title shot by most.
He is never given any respect even tho he keeps on winning and I’m sure he still wont when/if he beats Sonnen, I understand if you don’t want to have a champ whom fans don’t respond well too but they should still get a fair shot.
"Did you feel you did well against Lindland?" "
Hell no.. I wanted to break the law"
---Rampage
by TearsofaClown on Oct 24, 2009 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Current doesn’t mean a damn thing. At the time is what matters. Also, DQ wins count so you can’t throw that one out for ranking purposes.
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.
by FRANKIE on Oct 24, 2009 1:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Everyone knows who "won" that fight...
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Oct 24, 2009 3:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Silva fight is irrelevant for MW ranking purposes regardless of how you choose to factor DQs, since it wasn’t at middleweight (I think it was 175 lbs. or something).
by JRN on Oct 24, 2009 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not this again.
At the time Okami beat Swick, he was an easy top 10 MW. 5-fight win streak capped off with a victory over David Loiseau right after Loiseau’s title shot. The fact that Swick later dropped to WW is completely irrelevant.
I don’t think Okami deserves a title shot right this second, but he’s an upper top 10 MW, no question.
by JRN on Oct 24, 2009 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Win streaks are over rated.....
In MMA one really doesn’t know how “good” a win streak is until a year or 2 in the future. How the fighters do going forward determines how quality the wins are. I think Swick dropping to WW is absolutely relevant.
by Dexerion on Oct 24, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If we have to wait two years to appraise the quality of a win, we could never appraise the quality of any win, ever. Think about it: we’d be waiting a couple years to determine the value of, say, Machida over Evans, based on Evans’s subsequent fights, each of which requires two years to really assess… on and on ad infinitum.
(I realize you said “win streak,” but I don’t see how the value of a win streak is anything but a sum of the values of the individual wins therein. Well, that and the benefit of staying active and winning while others in your weight class lose.)
What the losing fighter does after a loss could be a reflection of their “real” quality, or it could be that their skills simply enlarge or diminish in the following years. Since we can’t know for sure, the only reasonable standard for determining the quality of a win is where the two fighters were at the time they actually fought.
by JRN on Oct 24, 2009 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm still trying to hold in that laugh about..
The UFC being afraid Okami will beat Anderson…
I don’t think the UFC or anyone in their right mind thinks Okami has a real chance at beating Anderson. He’s a decent fighter, but even in his own words ""he lost to Anderson". Anderson was toying with him in their first fight and would destroy him now.. Okami doesn’t pose any threat for Anderson. He will get picked apart trying to stand with Silva as he did with Rich.. He’ll go gun shy because of the shalacking he’d take from Anderson.. He couldn’t do anything to Anderson on the ground in their first fight when his ground game was still questionable at that point. Now he’s proven that he’s not gonna be steam boated on the ground. He’ll shut Okami down on the ground and force a standup or get back to his feet and continue picking him apart..
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
by MMAuthority on Oct 23, 2009 11:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m praying that Sonnen beats Okami so people can stop with the Okami deserves a title shot bs. The guy has done nothing to be in the discussion for a title not to mention the idea of him beating Anderson is far fetched to say the least. There is no conspiracy against Okami he’s just vastly overated by the hardcore’s and needs to beat a top MW to even be in the discussion at getting a shot at Andy for the MW belt.
by Raker on Oct 24, 2009 12:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
If Okami wins, I do think they should give him a good fight. If they can’t come to terms with Dan, Okami-Marquardt makes sense to me.
by Michael Rome on Oct 24, 2009 12:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Assuming Okami wins? If he loses to Sonnen all bets are off.
by bigdmmafan on Oct 24, 2009 1:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If Okami wins, I do think they should give him a good fight. If they can’t come to terms with Dan, Okami-Marquardt makes sense to me.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Oct 24, 2009 1:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Think that’s what they may have to do if they really don’t think they cant sell Okami to the American public, cant keep feeding him good guys on the under card, that will hurt everyone.
"Did you feel you did well against Lindland?" "
Hell no.. I wanted to break the law"
---Rampage
by TearsofaClown on Oct 24, 2009 3:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
“Or just cut the crap and admit this isn’t a sport so much as it is a spectacle.”
I’d be okay with equal parts of both.
Sergio Non,
MMA writer, USA TODAY
http://mma.usatoday.com
by Sergio Non on Oct 24, 2009 1:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Exactly...there's nothing to flip out about. It is both...
The problem with Okami isn’t that he’s boring to the average fan, though I’d rather watch his fights than a one punch KO like Marquardt/Maia, Belfort/Franklin, etc., it’s just that he needs some big finishes. People are more patient with Machida’s style now, because after his last four fights, you realize that at some point he’s gonna explode and pack more action and skill into one burst than most fighters can muster in a whole round, or even a whole fight. Sonnen doesn’t impress me that much, and I hope Okami rocks him and then takes him down and pounds him out. That should get him a good name, possibly Maia, and from there, two wins down the road, he’ll be in the title picture.
by Kwisatz Haderach on Oct 24, 2009 2:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think Okami knows he has to finish fights in a dominating, spectacular fashion or die trying. I sure hope he knows. The Evan Tanner fight was kind of a start. The fight was not great, nor was anything, I’ll re-watch on my Tivo again, but he did finish the fight and it’s start. Against Lister, I can’t really say it was his fault, Okami showed up fight, Lister was on some bullshit
by The Bronzeville Bully on Oct 24, 2009 7:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Iam pissed off! Really!
Why do they keep throwing Okami under the bus!
for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.
by Bandaka on Oct 24, 2009 9:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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