UFC plays Saitama, Japan this weekend
THE Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Asia this weekend with “UFC Fight Night 117” in Saitama, Japan, featuring the light heavyweight clash between American Ovince Saint Preux and Japanese Yushin “Thunder” Okami.
Happening at the Saitama Super Arena tomorrow, Sept. 23, UFC Fight Night 117 will see Mr. Saint Preux (20-10), the number six- ranked fighter in his division, try to win back-toback fights while welcoming Mr. Okami in his UFC return after four years.
The main event was originally set as a rematch between Mr. Saint Preux and former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua until the latter recently backed out because of knee injury, paving the way for hometown bet Okami (34-10), a former UFC middleweight contender, to take his place.
American Saint Preux won his last fight over Marcos Rogerio de Lima by submission ( Von Flue choke) in the second round in April.
The win stopped for him a three- fight losing streak, including against erstwhile light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Mr. Okami, meanwhile, last fought in the UFC in September 2013 where he lost to Ronaldo Souza by technical knockout in the opening round.
His last fight was in the Professional Fighters League last July where he beat Andre Lobato by unanimous decision.
Serving as co- main event is the women’s strawweight battle between Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha (# 1) and Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (#4) while also part of the card is the second fight in the UFC of Filipino featherweight Rolando “Dy Incredible” Dy against Teruto “Yashabo” Ishihara.
JAPAN-FIT
For combat sports writer Mike Miguel of local sites DojoDrifter.
com and Tiebreaker Times, who is currently in Saitama to cover the Fight Night, Mr. Rua backing out was a big loss but Mr. Okami replacing him was a fitting choice.
“Shogun- OSP 2 would have been nice to see for us international fans because their paths are now different since the first time they met. But with Okami, the UFC gets not only a willing and ready challenger to save the card, but also it is the most logical option as he caters best to the Japanese fans,” said Mr. Miguel in an interview with BusinessWorld.
He also views the co- main event as something to watch out for as the protagonists present an interesting fight dynamic.
“The Gadelha-Andrade fight is worth watching because of the way these two ladies fight,” he said.
For compatriot Dy, Mr. Miguel said he is up against a tough opponent who has been developing his game well.
“Like his first fight, Gab Dy will face a tall order as he faces the hometown favorite in Ishihara. We know that ‘ Yashabo’ has the powerful left hand, but he also has to be careful with the Japanese’s improving ground game after moving to the Team Alpha Male camp in Sacramento,” said Mr. Miguel of Mr. Dy, who lost in his first foray in the UFC in June against Alex Caceres by TKO because of an eye injury.
UFC Fight Night 117: Saint Preux vs Okami will be shown live tomorrow beginning at 10 a.m. over Hyper Ch. 91 in SD or 261 in HD on Cignal TV. Replay is at 6 p.m. on the same day.
In the Philippines, Cignal TV, the country’s foremost direct- to- home ( DTH) company, is the home of the UFC after the two groups agreed to an extensive deal that will see the UFC beamed on various platforms. —