Only the thrill of competition can motivate
Yushin Okami
at this late stage of his career.
The 41-year-old Japanese veteran will make his long-awaited return
to the cage when he meets former two-division
One
Championship titleholder
Aung La N
Sang in a
ONE 163 middleweight showcase on Saturday at Singapore Indoor
Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Okami’s extensive resume stretches
all the way back to September 2022. He has compiled a 1-2 record in
three assignments with ONE.
As Okami focuses his attention on his forthcoming clash with Sang
at 205 pounds, here are five things you might not know about
him:
1. He has become something of a forgotten man.
The Wajutsu Keishukai Tokyo Dojo rep has not fought in 1,134
days—by far the longest period of inactivity in his distinguished
20-year career. Okami last appeared at ONE “Century” Part 1, where
he eked out a split decision over Malaysia’s
Agilan
Thani on Oct. 12, 2019.
2. He left his mark inside the Octagon.
Okami still ranks fifth on the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s all-time list in wins as a
middleweight with 13 despite not having competed in the
organization in nearly four years. Only
Michael
Bisping (16),
Anderson
Silva (14),
Brad
Tavares (14) and
Derek
Brunson (14) have more.
3. No one can question his strength of schedule.
The Japanese judoka has faced 10 fighters who have captured titles
in either ONE, the
World Series of Fighting,
Strikeforce,
the UFC or
Bellator
MMA. Okami has gone 1-1 against Silva, 1-0 against
Evan Tanner,
1-0 against
Nate
Marquardt, 1-0 against
Hector
Lombard, 0-1 against
Jake Shields,
0-1 against
Rich
Franklin, 0-1 against
Ronaldo
Souza, 0-1 against
David
Branch, 0-1 against
Jon Fitch and
0-1 against
Kiamrian
Abbasov.
4. Judges often settle his differences.
Okami has gone the distance 25 times in 40 professional
assignments. He carries an 18-7 record in those bouts, with four of
his wins resulting in split scorecards.
5. Well-rounded skills made him a sought-after mercenary.
The well-traveled Okami has suited up for 13 different
organizations: the UFC, ONE,
Pride Fighting Championships, the WSOF, the
Professional Fighters League,
M-1
Global,
Pancrase,
K-1, Greatest Common Multiple, SuperBrawl, Rumble on the Rock, MARS
and Deep. He has fought in 10 different countries. In addition to
his native Japan, Okami has plied his trade in Russia, the United
States, South Korea, Ireland, Germany, Brazil, Australia, Indonesia
and the Philippines.