Who wins the Ovince St Preux vs. Yushin Okami fight, and why?
FRANK HYDEN, MMATorch Columnist
Okami can win if he drags the fight out. OSP will fade after the first round and he’ll get sloppy. Now, he’ll have to fall back a decent amount in order for Okami to beat him, but it’s certainly possible. The best shot for Okami to win is to take rounds two and three. The best shot for OSP to win is to finish things in the first round. I’m taking OSP to finish Okami in the first round. I won’t be surprised if Okami wins a dull decision, but I think OSP comes out trying to make a statement about his place in the division.
JOHN HARRIS, MMATorch Contributor
I like Ovince St. Preux in this one by 2nd round TKO. Yuskin Okami is taking this fight on just a little over a one week notice replacing an injured Shogun Rua. Okami has been recently fighting at a shocking 170 lbs. as most of his career has been spent in the 185 middleweight division. I see St. Preux being able to stop Okami’s usually great grappling ability mainly because I do not think Okami is going to be in the best condition taking this fight on such short notice and at a much more heavy weight class than he has been competing at most recently. St. Preux will most likely try to land some hard shots in the clinch to get Okami down and finish him from there.
RICK MONSEY, MMATorch Contributor
After a four-year absence Yushin Okami is back in the UFC and fighting in the main event. The Fight Night card will be taking place in his home country of Japan. This jump to the featured bout is a result of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua’s knee injury. That is not to say Okami doesn’t deserve this promotion. Okami has had a four fight win streak outside of the UFC with two decisions and two stoppage wins. On the other hand his opponent Ovince Saint Preux has lost three of his last four fights. Saint Preux needs a win here to stay relevant. Luckily for Saint Preux a win here is very possible. The fact that this fight is taking place in the light heavyweight division gives Saint Preux the advantage. Saint Preux is the bigger and possibly stronger fighter. Okami was training as a middleweight before getting the last minute call to be in this bout. The result will be Saint Preux over powering Okami and getting the submission win. On the other hand Okami’s only real chance is to use his grinding style and exhaust Saint Pruex. Earning his frequently achieved decision victory. That doesn’t sound very exciting but it’s Okami’s best shot.
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