Sonnen pulls the upset on internet fan favorite Okami

[Clark Kent]

10-24-2009 09:01 PM:He's been a persecuted man according to many internet mixed martial arts fans. Tonight, we saw why Yushin Okami in spite of a 7-1 mark in the UFC, has never been given a real shot at an Anderson Silva rematch. Okami, a one-trick pony with excellent grappling and little else, ran into a better grappler in Chael Sonnen. Sonnen set the pace early scoring a takedown in the first round and slamming Okami two times. Then surprisingly Sonnen turned it into a standup fight. His arsenal was too much for Okami as Sonnen rolled to a unanimous (30-27 on all cards) decision victory.

Sonnen (23-10, 3-3 UFC) really seemed to throw off Okami by pushing forward the entire fight. Any reach advantage the 6-foot-2 Okami possessed was nullified by Sonnen's control of the distance. The former U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling alternate Sonnen, also did a great job with his kick-punch combos.

Okami (23-5, 7-2 UFC) beat Silva via disqualification during a 2006 Cage Rage welterweight fight. Silva upkicked Okami while he was on his knees.



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Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.