MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Gilbert Yvel: ‘I’m the guy the American public has been waiting for’

Sometimes controversial and always lethal kickboxer Gilbert Yvel is thick in his preparations for his upcoming bout with fellow feared striker Pedro Rizzo.

The two will meet up at “Ultimate Chaos” which is scheduled for June 27. The card will take place in Biloxi, Mississipi and will air live on pay-per-view. Headlining the card will be showdown between colossal heavyweights Bobby Lashley and Bob Sapp.

Following seven consecutive finish victories, Yvel most recently dropped a unanimous decision to Josh Barnett at Afflicton’s “Day of Reckoning” card that took place in January. Barnett utilized superior wrestling and top position to gain the victory that has left a bad taste in Yvel’s mouth to this day.

“I’m a fighter and, in my opinion, takedowns are BS,” Yvel was quoted as saying in a recent press release on the upcoming event. “I don’t want to fight on the ground. I believe there should be one man left standing and the other asleep. If both fighters are still standing, to me, it’s like a draw. I want to win by knockout, not points.

“I’m a real fighter, the type fans want to see. I’m just being myself. I just want to go in there and hurt somebody. I’m the guy the American public has been waiting for. I bring something new into the cage or ring.”

His opponent for “Ultimate Chaos” is known for his powerful leg kicks and heavy hands but he is also a well versed submission artist in his own right. Yvel is hoping that Rizzo chooses to leave the takedowns at home and comes to bang for obvious reasons.

“Pedro used to train in Holland where I’m from and I know a little bit about him,” explained Yvel. ”I hope we have a stand-up fight but he’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu and if he’s smart, he’s going to take me to the ground. I hope he fights standing up so I can knock him out.”

 

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Jacare on Mayhem: ‘He is two-faced’

Arguably the most dangerous submission artist competing in the sport today, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is still reeling from his middleweight championship bout with Jason “Mayhem” Miller at DREAM 9 on May 26.

The bout was ruled a no-contest after Miller opened a nasty cut on the head of Souza with an inadvertent kick to the head of the downed Jacare.

Jacare made his feelings on Mayhem following the bout quite clear in a recent interview with the Brazilian website Tatame.com.

“At the time of the fight he cried, apologized to his coach, then came toward my corner saying I was an idiot, and also apologized,” explained Souza. “He is proving that he isn’t a person of only one face, he is a two-faced. After the fight gave ‘No Contest’ he cried, apologized to the coaches, and that everyone saw, but I don’t know if everyone saw him getting in my corner calling me an idiot and apologizing too.”

While the bad blood on Jacare’s end will unlikely settle before he has his chance to get Miller in the ring one more time, the Jiu-Jitsu specialist will now be forced on the sidelines while the abrasion on his head is given proper time to heal.

“I trained three months to this clown come and do what he did, now I won’t fight in July, not for a while,” said Jacare. “I’ll take a rest and wait.”

 

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HIERON VS. DALEY CONFIRMED FOR AFFLICTION 3

Although it has yet to be announced by the promotion, it appears that Jay Hieron vs. Paul Daley at Affliction "Trilogy" on Aug. 1 is ready to go. Xtreme Couture, the camp that Hieron trains with, confirmed the bout on Friday via its official blog page and now has the bout listed on the home page of its web site. The bout was originally reported earlier this week by MMAPayout.com.

Hieron (17-4) enters the bout on a five-fight winning streak going back to his days with the International Fight League. It marks his second call to action for Affliction. He knocked out Jason High on Jan. 24's Day of Reckoning event.

Amassing a 9-2 record in his last 11 bouts, 21-8-2 overall, Daley's only losses have come to two of the Top 10 welterweight fighters in the world, Nick Thompson and Jake Shields. He enters the fight having won back-to-back bouts in March and April.

Affliction "Trilogy" is headlined by a bout pitting No. 1 ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko against No. 2 ranked Josh Barnett for the WAMMA title currently held by Emelianenko. Like Affliction's first two events, it will be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The main card will be available via Showtime PPV with the undercard airing on HDNet.

 

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Fredson Paixao vs. Cole Province added to Aug. 9 WEC 42 event in Las Vegas

A featherweight matchup between submission specialists Fredson Paixao (8-3 MMA, 0-1 WEC) and Cole Province (5-1 MMA, 0-1 WEC) is set for WEC 42.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned of the addition to the card overnight from sources close to the event.

WEC 42 is scheduled for Aug. 9 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and will be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between champ Miguel Torres and undefeated challenger Brian Bowles.

Paixao will be looking to bounce back from a loss in his WEC debut. The Brazilian dropped a unanimous decision to Wagnney Fabiano at WEC 40 in April after taking a near-two-year break from competition.

Paixao owns career wins against Rani Yahya, Masakazu Imanari and Thomas Denny.

Province will also be looking to rebound from a WEC-debut loss, the first defeat of the 28-year-old's career. Province dropped a unanimous decision to Diego Nunes at WEC 37 in December 2008.

Province had started out his career by earning five-straight wins.

With the addition to the card, WEC 42 now includes:

* Champ Miguel Torres vs. Brian Bowles (for WEC bantamweight title)
* Jeff Curran vs. Takeya Mizugaki*
* Joseph Benavidez vs. Dominick Cruz*
* Phil Cardella vs. Ed Ratcliff*
* Fredson Paixao vs. Cole Province*

* - Not officially announced

 

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Tim Sylvia may use Ray Mercer bout as springboard for boxing title run

While the announcement of Tim Sylvia's (24-5 MMA, 0-0 Boxing) June boxing bout with former boxing heavyweight champion Ray Mercer (0-0 MMA, 36-7 Boxing) has been met with mixed emotions, the former UFC champ may not be one-and-done in the sport.

Sylvia recently told Fighters Only magazine that he would be open to a sustained run in the sport.

"[Boxing] is something I've always wanted to pursue, and if it works out like I'd like for it too, I can switch over," Sylvia said.

Sylvia has dropped significantly in the heavyweight rankings in the past two years, compiling just a 1-3 record in that time. With the losses coming to perennially top-ranked fighters Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Randy Couure, the extent of his decline is certainly debatable.

But while Sylvia does not currently intend to completely walk away from MMA, the promise of greater income and lower risk certainly presents a tempting opportunity.

"I don't want to be done with MMA, but the money is a lot better in boxing," Sylvia told Fighters Only. "Plus it's a lot easier on your body and it's a lot easier to train for a boxing match than it is an MMA match."

Sylvia has not fought since his July 2008 loss to Emelianenko, a 36-second performance that netted "The Maine-iac" $800,000.

Sylvia and Mercer will face off on Jun 13 in Birmingham, Ala. Sylvia is then tentatively scheduled to appear in an MMA rules bout at "Affliction: Trilogy" on Aug. 1 in Anaheim, Calif.

 

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Strikeforce's Scott Smith preparing for stand-up battle with Nick Diaz on June 6

All apologies to former NBA great Dominique Wilkins, but Strikeforce middleweight Scott Smith (16-5) is quickly becoming the modern-day "Human Highlight Film."

From the UFC to EliteXC, and now Strikeforce, Smith has sacrificed his personal well-being in an effort to entertain.

And if Smith holds true to recent claims, his June 6 bout with Nick Diaz (19-7) at "Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields" in St. Louis won't be any different.

"I'm definitely anticipating a knockout," Smith said in a recent media call promoting the event. "I'll be going for it in the first round. (But) whether it is in the first, second, or third, it doesn't matter to me – as long as the fight doesn't go the distance."

Smith has earned back-to-back knockout wins in Strikeforce, with Benji Radach falling in April and Terry Martin lasting just 24 seconds in November 2008. And with 13 total career wins by knockout or TKO, Smith's strategy is no secret.

"I plan on keeping this fight standing," Smith said. "I think [Diaz] is going to try to take me apart. He's a more technical fighter than I am. He's going to want to take this fight to the ground.

"His best chance of winning is getting it to the ground. I'm going to use my sprawl and brawl technique."

Diaz, a Cesar Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt, has also relied on his hands in recent contests. Smith believes Diaz has the advantage on the floor but enjoys the stand-up game too much not to engage.

"If [Diaz] is smart, he's going to try to get it to the ground," Smith said. "That's where he has the advantage. But I think he's going to go out there and bang with me.

I'm ready for everything. I just have to worry about what I do best and control the fight and not wait for him. If I wait for him, he's going to pick me apart."

Diaz's pawing striking style doesn't often earn him respect as a power puncher. But Smith said he's well aware of Diaz's capabilities.

"I think people don't give him enough credit," Smith told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "He has a lot more power than what it seems. He just does a good job of picking people apart and setting up the power punches.

"I'm definitely not underestimating his power at all. I've definitely had to change up a few things in my technique to train for Nick."

So no, less than two months after his rousing battle with Radach, Smith is ready to again stand toe-to-toe – regardless of what damage he may incur in the process.

"I fight the way I fight because I have fun doing it," Smith said. "I don't think I would have fun going in there and having a three-round snore fest. I had a terrible fight against Patrick Cote that went the distance.

"After that fight, I promised myself I'd never fight like that again and (I would always) leave it all out there."

And if that means taking on damage in a rousing brawl, only to secure a come-from-behind win, that's just fine with "Hands of Steel."

"If it gets to the point that my body can't handle it anymore, then it's just time to get out of the game," Smith said. "But I'm not going to sit there and try to change my style of fighting to try to prolong my career."

 

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UFC 102 confirmed for Aug. 29; ticket information released, venue not announced

The UFC has officially announced an Aug. 29 date in ticketing information for UFC 102, though the venue has yet to be officially confirmed.

Presale tickets for UFC Fight Club members are on sale June 18, UFC Newsletter tickets are available June 19 and the public on-sale date is June 20.

UFC 102 is expected to take place at the 20,000-seat Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.

While no official announcements have been made, a heavyweight showdown between MMA legends Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is expected to headline UFC 102.

Couture recently confirmed his participation in the bout by posting the matchup on Xtreme Couture's official website.

While the UFC has yet to announce a single bout for the organization's first trip to Oregon, the rumored card is nearly complete.

The card currently includes:

* Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira*
* Demian Maia vs. Nate Marquardt*
* Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva*
* Matt Hamill vs. Brandon Vera*
* Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt*
* Wilson Gouveia vs. James Irvin*
* Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer*
* Nick Catone vs. Mark Munoz*
* Junior dos Santos vs. Justin McCully*
* Evan Dunham vs. Matt Veach*

* - Not officially announced

 

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UFC Quick Quote: Bad coaching, not sheer awesomeness, the reason Rashad Evans lost to Lyoto Machida

“I went back and watched the Rashad fight again, and I think it comes down to bad coaching. In the prefight press conference, I heard Rashad say that he didn’t bring anybody in who would resemble Machida’s style. When I heard that, I knew that there might be some problems. That is probably a big reason why Rashad didn’t do very well in the striking area. I also think Rashad should have been coached on using his wrestling talent. He didn’t shoot one takedown that I can remember and he just made it a sparring match. If I was to coach Rashad against Machida, I would have told him to make it a fight, use his wrestling and groundwork to really dictate the match. Not just go out and spar with him. I think Rashad could have done a lot better in that fight. I’m not saying he should have won, but he’s a lot better than he showed on Saturday.”

 

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Cheick Kongo: Cain Velasquez needs heart to beat me — lots of heart

“Cain is from the new generation, he is young. He has a lot to prove but he looks very good … He needs heart to beat me. Lots of heart. He needs to be very careful … Maybe I am going to get a shot after this fight … I don’t make the rules on these things. I thought I was close before, but all I can do is fight and keep winning and training … I am more confident than ever. I am doing things in my fights that I have done in the gym for a while and I am getting better. I think I will be the UFC heavyweight champion.”

 

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Marcus Davis: Dan Hardy is a ‘disrespectful punk’ whose face will be Swiss cheese at UFC 99

“‘Hate’ is a very powerful word, I know…. But I hate my opponent at UFC 99. I hate Dan Hardy. I really can’t stand this guy and I am counting down to days to June 13, to the Lanxess Arena in when I can smash this kid in the mouth. I want to punch holes in this guy’s face. Hardy has gone so far beyond what is professional. This is more than another fight in the UFC for me, more than getting a win and working towards getting a title shot. This is war…. I’ve only met him maybe three times…. On none of these occasions did Hardy have the guts to say anything disrespectful to my face … like the little coward he is, he’s done all his smack talk from behind his keyboard like a 14 year old living in his mom’s basement…. Hardy, you disrespectful punk, all this crap you’ve been talking hasn’t had the affect you wanted it to. I’m not going into this fight all crazy, swinging wild to give you any kind of chance you know you’ll need to have a prayer of beating me. The only other person I genuinely hated going into a fight was Jess Liaudin, who talked a lot of crap before our fight at UFC 80. And he got knocked stone cold for his disrespect and wasn’t heard from again. All this BS has done has put pressure on you to back up all this talk. You keep saying you are having fun talking all this crap, but your fun time ends in two weeks.”

 

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UFC Quick Quote: Ben Saunders ready to ‘whoop’ Mike Swicks ass with his ‘blades’ on June 13

“I don’t believe his hand speed will be that big of a difference, especially with the lack of a reach advantage, which he has had in almost all his other fights. It means I can hit him without getting hit and close the distance easier than him. He needs to be worried about my blades. The clinch is only one aspect and not something I feel I have to get. People seem to think that because I used it so well in my last fight, that it’s my bread and butter. I love the clinch and feel very confident there, but it is by no means my best and only form of attack. I am a striker at heart and believe I can stand and bang with the best of them. That’s why I fight for the UFC to test myself and see where I am and where I am going. But I am evolving as a mixed martial artist, adding submissions, takedowns, ground and pound and additional striking to my game. I just keep getting better…. I need to go out there and do what I do best; go out there and whoop that ass. I love what I do and it gets me hyped up just thinking about it. I don’t have to be there, I want to be there. If he beats me, he beats me. There is nothing I can do or say to change that, but I’ll be damned if I beat myself by doubting my skills in any way. I’m confident and come June 13th, I’ll be well-prepared to take that stiff test and hopefully prove to myself and the world that I truly do belong in the UFC.”

 

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Dan Hardy: ‘If Marcus Davis was so good at boxing he’d still be doing it right now’

For those of you that thought there was bad blood between Matt Hughes and Matt Serra leading into their UFC 98 bout just over a week ago, brace yourselves for Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy at UFC 99 on June 13.

A war of words has been heating up between the two since the fight was announced in scores of interviews done by both men leading into the bout. The most of harsh of which have come in the form of their official blogs leading into the fight available at UFC.com.

Although Hardy has made an effort to train with famed boxing trainer Freddie Roach at his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles leading into the grudge match with Davis, he is adamant that the decision to sharpen up on his boxing has nothing to do with his rival’s history as a professional boxer. According to Hardy, he’s not overly impressed with the hands of Davis to say the least.

“To be honest, I don’t even think Davis’ hands are the most dangerous things he brings to the fight,” Hardy was quoted as saying in his official blog. “I don’t think he’s as good a boxer as people make him out to be.

“He started boxing at a very light weight and it’s very hard to carry that skill as you move up in weight and bulk up. You see that with a lot of professional boxers who move up through the weights. Aside from a few notable exceptions, most pro boxers reduce as fighters as they move up in weight. It’s normally a tactic employed by an old guy or someone who has just lost a fight.

“Let’s be honest, if Marcus Davis was so good at boxing he’d still be doing it now.

“He’s got a good pro boxing record on paper, but when you take the time to look into his record and see the guys he was facing, it’s no longer so impressive. It was a very padded record, compiled mostly against guys in Massachusetts or Maine.”

 

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Filho: “He’s tough, but I believe I beat him”

Without fighting since 2008, Paulo Filho is back to the rings, and will already have a tough opponent ahead. With one of the best Jiu-Jitsu games of the MMA, the black belt will go trough Melvin Manhoef, striking specialist, at Dream 10, in July 20. In conversation with TATAME.com, Paulão talked about the trainings and the strategy for the bout against Manhoef.

"He's coming from a sequence of knockouts, nice, but I'm more complete in the MMA game. Who thinks I’ll change punches with him is wrong, I’ll do my game, try to put him down and define the fight where I’m good. He’s very hard, but I believe that I beat him", bets Paulão, who also commented the fight between he’s training partner, Ronaldo Jacaré, at the middleweight title fight against Jason Miller, and the success of the Brazilians Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida, UFC champions.

 

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Ninja plans return to Dream in August

Returning to the Japanese rings after nearly three years, Murilo "Ninja" Rua hasn’t got much luck. Seeing the opponent being changed one day before the fight, the Brazilian was defeated by Riki Fukuda in the unanimous decision. Back to trainings, the Universidade da Luta athlete expects to return to the rings as soon as possible.

"I was with a shoulder injury, but everything is alright now. I’m not training hard, but there is nothing certain yet. I think I will return to the Dream in August or September", said Ninja, who needs the victory after two losses. "Now I need to win, because I couldn’t do a good fight (against Fukuda), didn’t have a good presentation for the fans and for myself", finished the Brazilian.

 

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UFC TV Partner Setanta Slashing Rights Deals by 25%, Looking To Stay Afloat

The Sunday Times is reporting today that a stop gap measure to make ends meet for UFC UK broadcaster Setanta has been nixed:

Setanta’s financial position was so parlous this weekend that it asked arch-rival BSkyB, which is 39.1% owned by News Corporation, parent company of The Sunday Times, for a £50m advance payment on a deal that would have seen Sky wholesale Setanta to its own Sky Sports subscribers.

The proposal of an interest-free loan, which was rejected, would have bridged the gap left by private-equity backers Doughty Hanson, Balderton Capital and Goldman Sachs, which have so far offered to inject £50m into the company.

Setanta, which has 1.2m customers, must now return for crunch talks with rights holders, including the PGA golf tour. After initially asking for a 15%-20% reduction in terms, the broadcaster is seeking to negotiate some of its rights deals down by 25%.

The rights fee reductions look to be a cross the board and the UFC won’t be immune in this respect. The last hired first, fired concept applies in a lot of situations and I imagine that the UFC were one of the first properties to be approached for a cut. While MMA is growing in the UK, it is important to keep in proper perspective the engines that are driving the Setanta train (soccer, cricket, rugby, etc.). It is going to be incumbent upon Setanta to get these reduction deals done in order to remain afloat. The general feel I have gotten in reading over all the Setanta stuff is that the situation is quite perilous at this point. The rights fee payment to the FA that is prompting all of this scurrying about is due by June 15, so there should be some movement in the situation over the next few weeks.

Phil Lowe of iFight365 has been covering the Setanta issue closely and gives his take on where the situation may go from here:

As we reported back in March, Setanta Sports and the UFC signed a two-year agreement at the start of 2008 which saw Setanta Sports 1 become the exclusive home for all UFC programming.

While we don’t have confirmation on whether or not ongoing talks over rights include talks with the UFC, the ongoing problems with the broadcaster raises questions over the UFC’s future in the UK, who may find themselves looking for a new UK broadcaster in the next six months or so.

Providing the original deal is still in place, UFC’s contract with Setanta Sports would end in early 2010, making the New Year an even more interesting one for wrestling and MMA fans in the UK and Ireland.

 

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Chael Sonnen On Being A Good UFC Employee (Vid)

 

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Akiyama Opens New Gym! Cloud Akiyama Dojo

Yoshihiro Akiyama has opened a new gym in Hiroo in Shibuyaku in the middle of Tokyo. Akiyama said that he wants the fighters of the gym to participate in UFC, DREAM, and SENGOKU. In the dojo there is a ring, cage, and a Judo hall. Since he thinks a lot of foreign children live in Hiroo he would like to show them Judo.

He wants the gym to be a gym in which anyone can visit. He doesn’t want the gym to have a black and red scary image (to not scare away girls who would like to train there) so there are different colors in the gym, like orange.

Akiyama said that he will start his training for UFC 100 at the gym as soon as the opening ceremony is over.

Some of the visitors at the opening ceremony were fellow HERO’S veterans Caol Uno, Hiroyuki Takaya, and Hideo Tokoro, and the godfather of K-1, Kazuyoshi Ishii.

 

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LARSON CONTINUES SUCCESSFUL UFC RETURN

It’s taken just over a combined five minutes in two fights for welterweight Brock Larson to continue to wash away the stigma of his previous UFC experience and establish himself as someone to watch again in the welterweight division.

Prior to rejoining the UFC this past April with a win over Jesse Sanders, Larson had gone 1-1 in his preceding UFC appearances, not looking particularly impressive in either outing.

After stepping in for Josh Koschek at UFC 98 this past weekend, Larson was intent on continuing the momentum he had began with his win over Sanders as he stepped in to face fellow replacement fighter Mike Pyle.

“I knew going in I had to be a little bit patient, because I really didn’t know what to expect,” Larson told MMAWeekly on facing Pyle on short notice. “I knew I had to be cautious, take my time and let my technique do the work, and put the muscle and aggression on the shelf a little bit.

“Once it got going and we got going and entangled, we were moving pretty good, and I think it was pretty entertaining. He put some submission attempts on me, and I countered them and then caught him with my own.”

Having made a name for himself in the WEC, Larson admits there was some trepidation towards returning to the UFC this year in fear of a repeat of his previous experience.

“I was nervous about coming over and being lost (in the shuffle), being the king of the undercard and just beating guys up here and there when they needed me,” he admitted. “(The fight) got aired on the pay-per-view, and I think it did make a bit of a statement that I can knock off one of the better guys.

“I think all in all it was a good night for me, I got out of there injury-free and got the Submission (of the Night) bonus, so it’s all good. For all the 170-pounders, it opened their eyes that night.”

Prior to returning to the UFC, Larson’s main motivation was to get a return match with Carlos Condit for the WEC welterweight title. With Condit’s loss in his UFC debut in April, he was asked if that’s still a fight he would want, or if his attentions have now shifted elsewhere.

“If it works and he ends up getting back on the winning track and puts together a couple wins and looks good, of course that’d be a fight I would be interested in,” responded Larson. “He’s a Top 10 fighter and I want to fight the best fighters, and he’s one of them.

“It would be sweet to regain one of my losses and come out with win, but at the same time, I’m not looking for that fight. If it happens, it happens and that’s a bonus. If not, then I’m going to beat up the next guy in front of me and move on until I eventually get that title fight.”

Whatever is next for Larson will apparently have to wait, as he plans on taking time off to recoup from all his recent activity.

“I fought on April 1, then at the end of May, and that’s a lot of training and getting geared up for that,” he stated. “I’m hoping to take time off, let my body heal and do some other types of training, like training with a gi for jiu-jitsu and work on getting my black belt.

“I’ll hopefully take something up in the fall or winter, and basically go from there.”

With an impressive win over a name opponent on a UFC PPV, Larson has set the stage for himself to make the kind of impact in the promotion he wanted to have from the start.

“Thanks to the fans,” he concluded. “Hopefully I’ll be back in the fall and they’ll be cheering for me then. I’ve got to thank DTMF, Bowtech and Tapout; all my training partners, Anytime Fitness and MMAWeekly.”

 

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UFC signs heavyweight Mike Russow, debut slated for UFC Fight Night 19 in September

Veteran heavyweight Mike Russow (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a Chicago police officer who's competed for organizations such as Adrenaline MMA and PRIDE, has signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC and will make his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 19.

The news comes from Matt Erickson of The Times of Northwest Indiana.

No opponent has been determined for the 32-year-old's upcoming UFC debut.

Russow enters the UFC with a seven-fight winning streak, which included a first-round submission victory over Jason Guida in the main event of Adrenaline MMA's first event. Six months later, in December 2008, he scored another submission victory, over Braden Bice, at Adrenaline MMA's second show.

In fact, eight of Russow's 11 victories have come via submission (and two others via knockout).

Russow, a former state high school wrestling champion in Illinois, suffered his lone career loss at PRIDE 33, an event that took place in February 2007 in Las Vegas. There, he suffered a first-round submission loss to notable Sergei Kharitonov.

Although not officially announced by the UFC, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported last month that UFC Fight Night 19 is expected to take place Sept. 16, most likely in Oklahoma City.

 

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UFC's Yushin Okami expects September return; Okami vs. Silva hype beginning?

UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami, who's posted a 7-1 mark in the UFC but still hasn't earned a title shot, hopes a knee injury that forced him off last month's UFC 98 card will be healed in time for a September return.

In a recent interview with UFC.com, Okami said torn ligaments in his knee forced a doctor to pull him from a scheduled May 23 bout with Dan Miller.

But he's anxious to return – and for a possible bout with current middleweight champ Anderson Silva.

"I really wanted to fight (against Miller), but the doctor had stopped me," Okami told UFC.com. "He told me I would recover by June if I sit still. Currently I'm focused on upper-body training, and by July I will be back to my usual regimen. I want to get back into the octagon, if possible, to fight in September."

Okami (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) most recently competed in December, when he defeated Dean Lister via unanimous decision at UFC 92. The Japanese fighter is 9-1 in his past 10 fights with the lone loss coming to Rich Franklin in a close decision at UFC 72.

Despite his dominance in the UFC's middleweight division, Okami has been largely ignored when it comes to the title picture, possibly because of the fighter's notorious slow starts and a fighting style sometimes labeled boring. Other than saying he's a contender, UFC President Dana White has never specifically stated if and when Okami would get a title shot.

And considering Silva is currently slated to face Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in a light heavyweight non-title fight, Okami is unlikely to get a shot at the belt in his first fight back from injury.

However, perhaps for the first time since Okami joined the UFC in 2006, the UFC is acknowledging that a Silva vs. Okami fight could on the horizon.

The bout would actually be a rematch from the duo's original meeting at Rumble on the Rock 8 in December 2006. Okami was credited for the win – but only because he was tagged with an illegal kick to the face by Silva.

UFC.com's Thomas Gerbasi asked Okami about the fight, which could start the organization's hype for the future rematch.

"The records say I won, but I really lost the match," Okami said. "But I believe because of this fight, I've grown stronger. The next time I fight him things will be different. I am confident of that."