The UFC travels to Japan for a rare Friday night event. UFC Fight Night 117 takes place at the Saitama Arena in Saitama, Japan. Yushin Okami steps in on short notice for Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to take on Ovince Saint Preux in the main event.
Okami hasn’t fought in the UFC since September of 2013 when he lost to Jacare Souza.He has spent the last four years fighting for the Professional Fighters League/World Series of Fighting, Deep and Pancrase.
OSP finally got back in the win column at his last fight after losing three fights in a row. A win here will give him his second straight win and will hopefully give him the confidence he needs to make a run in the welterweight division. As someone who has underachieved throughout his career, OSP needs to win this fight in order to stay relevant.
The co-main event is the fight I’m most looking forward to. Claudia Gadelha takes on Jessica Andrade in what should be a fantastic fight. Both women have already lost to Joanna Champion, but a win by either woman should put them in line for another crack at her.
The main card also includes, Takanori Gomi vs. Dong Hyun Kim, Gokhan Saki vs. Henrique da Silva, Teruto Ishihara vs. Rolando Dy and Jussier Formiga (19-5) vs. Ulka Sasaki.
The prelims will air on FXX at 7PM CT. Keep it on FXX for the main card starting at 9PM CT.
Here are the current odds and my predictions of each fight.
Note: The predictions in this column do not necessarily mean that I will be betting them. I have changed my mind in the past and gone the other way after conducting more research. For all of my official bets follow me on Twitter @FightChampBlog. You can also find all of my official MMA bets at betmmatips.com. For more information on my MMA bets go to thefightingchampion.com.
Main Event
Ovince Saint Preux (20-10) vs. Yushin Okami (32-8) – Welterweight 205 lbs.
Current Odds: Saint Preux -465; Okami +355
Pick: Saint Preux by TKO
Claudia Gadelha (15-2) vs. Jessica Andrade (16-6) – Strawweight 115 lbs.
Current Odds: Gadelha -285; Andrade +225
Pick: Gadelha by decision
Takanori Gomi (35-13, 1 NC) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (14-8-3) – Lightweight 155 lbs.
Current Odds: Kim -400; Gomi +300
Pick: Kim by TKO
Gokhan Saki (0-1) vs. Henrique da Silva (12-3) – Light Heavyweight 205 lbs.
Current Odds: Saki -185; da Silva +155
Pick: Saki by TKO
Teruto Ishihara (10-4-2) vs. Rolando Dy (8-5-1, 1 NC) – Featherweight 145 lbs.
Current Odds: Ishihara -165; Dy +135
Pick: Ishihara by TKO
Jussier Formiga (19-5) vs. Ulka Sasaki (20-4-2) – Flyweight 125 lbs.
Current Odds: Formiga -410; Sasaki +310
Pick: Formiga by submission
Prelims
Keita Nakamura (38-8-2, 1 NC) vs. Alex Morono (13-4) – Welterweight 170 lbs.
Current Odds: Morono -130; Nakamura ev.
Pick: Morono by decision
Syuri Kondo (5-0) vs. Chan-Mei Jeon (5-1) – Strawweight 115 lbs.
Current Odds: Kondo -130; Jeon ev.
Pick: Kondo by decision
Shinsho Anzai (9-2) vs. Luke Jumeau (0-0) – Welterweight 170 lbs.
Current Odds: Jumeau -255; Anzai +205
Pick: Jumeau by decision
Daichi Abe vs. Hyun Gyu Lim (13-6-1) – Welterweight 170 lbs.
Current Odds: Lim -120; Abe -110
Pick: Abe by TKO
Enjoy the fights!
NOW CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE: UFC TONIGHT’S Daniel Cormier and Kenny Florian preview UFC Fight Night 117
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