While it appears Strikeforce is inching toward a Fedor vs. Dan Henderson superfight, the UFC may be moving away from one of its own.
That's because according to a report from Tatame, Anderson Silva will not be waiting for the result of Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields and will, instead, take on Yushin Okami on Aug. 27 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Apparently, the word comes from Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, "The Spider's" training partner and close friend.
If true, it will mark the ninth time Silva will defend his middleweight title inside the Octagon, this one being a rematch of a 2006 bout that saw Okami defeat the Brazilian via controversial disqualification.
That loss marked the last time the 185-pound champion has tasted defeat, as he went on to defeat Tony Fryklund before beginning his historic run in the UFC.
Okami has built an impressive Octagon resume of his own, winning 10 of his 12 fights with the UFC, the most recent of which, over Nate Marquardt in Germany, was supposed to earn him a long-awaited shot at the middleweight crown.
However, after Silva's impressive destruction of Vitor Belfort at UFC 126, fight fans began calling for Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre to move up to middleweight for the superfight of the century.
Company President Dana White was reportedly entertaining the idea but if this report is to be believed, that may no longer be the case.
Agree with the idea of finally giving Yushin Okami a title shot and rematch against Silva? Or would you have preferred waiting on GSP?
Really don't want to see the GSP/Silva fight delayed, because the more time passes the less of a chance is that it's actually going to happen. Would mean one more fight for GSP at 170, and prob one more after this for Silva against someone else, end up having the superfight happen mid to late 2012 at the earliest.
