by King Hazard
In the past, UFC President Dana White labeled Yushin Okami (29-8) as “the best fighter ever to come out of Japan.” Okami is also considered a top 10 ranking fighter with numerous wins over some of the best in the middleweight division like Nate Marquardt, Mark Munoz, Evan Tanner, and Hector Lombard, just to name a few.
I don’t consider him to be one of the most exciting fighters on the roster. It’s been my understanding that he has always lacked the general “skill demand” in the UFC because he hasn’t dropped an opponent with a memorable finish for sometime now. Newcomer Ronaldo Souza (19-3) took him out in the first round by TKO at UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Bader in September. Subsequently, Okami suffered the same fate as former UFC top contender Jon Fitch, being officially cut from the company. Apparently, the reason is because the roster is packed and someone has to go, according to White:
He was never able to get over the hump and win one of those [significant] fights. We have a lot of guys coming in and I’ve been saying this all year: We have a full roster and there are guys who deserve opportunities. When you bring guys in, someone has to go. That’s why these fights are so meaningful.
Lastly, Canadian mixed martial artist Mike Ricci (8-4), who formerly competed on The Ultimate Fighter Season 16, has also been removed from the UFC lightweight roster. On September 20th, Ricci lost to Myles Jury by split decision on the UFC 165 preliminary card.
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