UFC releases Yushin Okami

[shertard74]

If carmont gets cut I would be happy and so would 98% of the mma community. He is "top 10".....

 

[Evil3mperor]

People bitched about him non stop when he was fighting because of his boring style. Now he gets released and everyone wants to freak out. Its a business. Boring fighters are bad for business. He was probably making more than he was bringing in.

But in true sherdog fashion people just want to cry about something.

I've seen my fair share of Okami nut-huggers, but regardless, it's more common to read complaining about a poor performance than to read praise of a good one. Okami is a fantastically well-rounded fighter that could have potentially stayed in the top ten for years. It wasn't long ago that Dana was marketing him as the "last man to beat Anderson Silva," which is silly shit, but still.

 

[BionicCommando]

Many of you can congratulate yourselves on this even taking place.

Many modern MMA fans have created a culture where "flash", and being marketable takes precedent over actually being one of the best fighters in the world.

Modern MMA fans? It's always been about the flash and the pomp, my man.

 

[Vvix]

Its like you just discovered gunpowder

 

[jthatdude]

Sorry to say this but Yushin Okami being cut is not a big loss to the UFC just like Jon Fitch wasn't a big loss for the UFC. Guy is a decent MW but has a boring style and will mostly likely never be in title contention again. Hell, I do not think he was ever big in Japan. Fitch has been all but forgotten and so will Okami.

 

[mchestnut]

How the fuck does Vera not get cut yet

 

[TFanatic]

Other sports cut expensive players to make room for up and comers and change rules to make games more exciting. This isn't something new or something just the UFC is doing

 

[tappedtostrikes**]

Many of you can congratulate yourselves on this even taking place.

Many modern MMA fans have created a culture where "flash", and being marketable takes precedent over actually being one of the best fighters in the world.

Okami was nowhere close to being the "best in the world". His ranking was a farce, the guy was brutally knocked out in half of his last 6 fights and his only finish was against a complete nobody. Good cut by Dana.

 

[5H3RD0G]

Don't lose to Jacare or you will be released. :icon_lol: j/k Yushin was a pro always getting better but I guess the UFC must be looking for new fight style types. We shall see.

 

[jthatdude]

we see it all time in other sports a la NFL

-10 yr vet, still an all pro, yet gets cut to save money and get younger (Brian Urlacher, Ed reed)

same thing with okami. UFC wants younger fighters to shine and save money. makes sense to me

I agree. Plus, he style was boring and not fan friendly.

 

[Towelie by TKO]

And we still are kind of, but they are bleeding credibility all over the place.

Credibility in whose eyes? Sherdoggers who will continue to watch the UFC because that's where most of their favorite fighters fight? Credibility in the eyes of people who don't watch the UFC because "two dudes grappling is gay"?

 

[tdluxon]

They can't keep everybody. He is a good fighter though, I'm sure he'll catch on somewhere else.

 

[GroundGameFan]

He be getting that Fitch treatment

First thing I thought as well. I couldn't care less for unofficial "official rankings", but releasing #2 WW and #6 MW is not a good look IMO. Jacare was gonna beast anyone he fought that night so it's pretty shitty for Yushin to get released after that.

 

[dawnignited]

Wait, what? Did they actually cut Yushin or was this just another matter of a guy's contract expiring and them not wanting to pay him Anderson Silva money to resign him?

I think he'll be okay either way. I'm sure Bellator or WSOF will want to scoop him up and he could very well become a champion in either of those organizations.

 

[Barret]

Uh what. More like Okami is a threat to the majority of the MWs in the UFC let's face it he was a threat to business a threat to new comers that are paid less money.

If he keeps winning then they'll then have to pay him even more money, instead they'll just champion some new comer and make him out to be some tough guy with ballooned up Top 10 rankings while paying them peanuts.

 

[Zlatan1]

Yes it is. It's a credibility loss.

 

[Brian Cronk]

It's things like this that made me stop watching ufc events or lobbying my friends to get together and split events. Vote with your wallet. Don't do it just because they cut Okami. Do it because this isn't the first time they've done this. Do it because this won't be the last time they make a cut/decision that kills the legitimacy of the sport, feeds the arguments that mma as a whole is not legitimate and is meant to appease the lowest common denominator of society.

 

[BionicCommando]

I don't know that Fitch is, because such a great many people hated watching his fights. Roll back the clock and look at Sherdog around anytime he had a fight coming up - most of the attention was negative.

Has Fitch been in more main events than Okami has? I think it's certainly close. Off the top of my head I can remember 3 Okami main events to 2 for Fitch. I'm sure someone with better researching abilities will be able to punch that home.

People get excited for Okami fights in a way they don't for Fitch, in my opinion. At least that is 100% the case for me.

I don't see it that way. I know a lot of people "liked" Okami but it always felt like the hipster kind of like---like they liked Okami because everybody else disliked him. I think Okami was the Japanese Fitch. Overpaid by MMA standards, not exciting to the casual fans, not a big name or a draw and ultimately expendable because he could beat 90% of the prospects they want to build up and 50% of the guys they have in the top 10.

Aside from that, Fitch was a thorn in their side and refused a title eliminator with Koscheck when they were the clear top guys in the division that had not yet fought. Okami would be fighting his buddy Chael Sonnen in his next gig if thats what they told him to do.

No disagreement here. I totally get what you're saying from this standpoint.

He's a company man. It's not a Fitch situation, and, its far more mind blowing to me.

I think they had a guy who was essentially a stone wall for their prospects and like I said, was expensive-ish and on the decline. It's hard to ignore the fact that Okami had been TKO'd in 3 of his last 6 fights. That was probably the easiest justification on the big level.


In reality, I bet they're going to try to re-sign him to a cheaper deal ASAP. Let him win a fight or two on the regional circuit and then sign him with his value down.

 

[jban]

Many of you can congratulate yourselves on this even taking place.

Many modern MMA fans have created a culture where "flash", and being marketable takes precedent over actually being one of the best fighters in the world.

100% agree with you. The proof is this forum. Some actually are jumping for joy that he is gone, when he is 3-1 in his last 4 fights, beating tough opponents like Belcher and Lombard. With Okami being cut- this proves that now in the UFC- records and rankings mean shit. If that is the case, Dana should just come out and say that the UFC is more about Entertainment than Sport. He started arguing

with a reporter who asked Dana that question after Fitch was cut. Now with Okami cut- and Chris Leben (lost four fights out of five, and three in a row) makes more money than Okami, is still getting an another fight. Garcia and Hardy lost 4 fights in a row, and that meant nothing to Dana. The modern MMA fans in my opinion have created a terrible culture. I am a MMA fan first and foremost, and enjoyed the way Yushin fought. The sport is MMA and not Boxing. Sadly, a lot of "MMA fans" have forgot that point.

 

[Kneeuinthenutz]

Modern MMA fans? It's always been about the flash and the pomp, my man.

There was a time when most fans cared far more about if you were actually one of the best fighters in the world (boring or not), and competed against the best fighters in the world, rather than being the new flavor that many young fans have taken a liking to.

for me since day 1. I doing give a fuck how boring anyone is. I just want to see what actually works and who's the best.

If it turns out Nick Lentz style of fighting is more effective than everyone else in the world? Then it's very important for me as a fan to know that. Unfortunately many today would rather NOT know that, and would enjoy watching someone who does spin kicks, has no TD defense, and wears sunglasses indoors, while they do flashy stuff all night. They'd rather not see that their games have very exploitable holes in it while living in denial.

If Ben Askren can actually dominate everyone in the UFC in the manner he's been doing his entire career? I want to know that. The problem is many don't.