UFC 134 Anderson Silva vs. Okami: The Blueprint for Thunder to Beat the Spider

UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro will certainly be an entertaining night of fights. The main event features the man everybody considers to be the most entertaining fighter in all of MMA, Anderson Silva. Not many people are giving Yushin Okami any shot to beat him, but it is certainly possible.

Anderson Silva has showed in his career that he's far from invincible. He has four losses on his record, one to Okami. Okami was knocked out by an illegal kick, and won via disqualification. The rest of his losses were all legitimate.

Silva has been in trouble in his career; Okami will need to fight a flawless fight to take down the champ.

Stand and Bang Early on

I know what you're thinking; this is how Okami is going to get knocked out.

It is very likely that's the case, but he has to tire out Silva. Anderson Silva is such a good striker because he's explosive and puts together great combinations. He is accurate and dodges punches like they're nothing.

If Anderson doesn't get tired, Okami will have no chance at winning. A round of Silva's superior striking is bad, but if it lasts the whole fight, Yushin will surely go down.

He has to let the champ exert himself for one round, and then go into the calculated game-plan.

Don't Go for the Knockout

Trying to knock out Anderson Silva is just a bad idea. He's the best counter-puncher in MMA history.

Many of his knockouts come off of dodged or slipped punches. If Okami swings for the fence, he will play to Silva's strength.

Landing strikes is a must, but going for the knockout is careless.

Take Silva Down and Don't Let Him Get Up

Chael Sonnen showed that beating Anderson Silva is a more than real possibility. Sonnen beat him up for 24 minutes and 30 seconds; proving the Spider does have holes in his game.

Fortunately for Okami, he is a very good wrestler. Okami has to take Anderson down every round and control the fight. Putting him on his back is a must, as he can be controlled from the top.

Grinding out a decision is the likeliest way that Okami can win. Beating Silva in a striking contest is very unlikely.

Put Money in the Bank, Go to the Body

Anderson Silva's head is near impossible to hit. He is simply too fast and too elusive. Okami isn't known for striking ability, so he should target the biggest openings.

He should use punches and kicks to the legs and torso when the fight is standing. Slowly wearing down the champ is a sure-fire way to improve the likeliness of victory.

When the fight goes to the ground, Yushin needs to mix up strikes to the body to tire Anderson. Body punching tires fighters out, and still earns points on judges scorecards.

DO NOT Get Tired

Only time will tell how good Okami will be conditioned for a five-round fight, but he needs to use his energy sparingly.

If Yushin gets tired, he might as well just throw in the towel.

He has little to no chance landing strikes on the champion, trying to do so with a low gas tank will be next to impossible. If Okami wants to win, he has to get take-downs. No energy will impair his ability to get the fight on the ground and surely spell disaster.

Stay Disciplined

Yushin Okami needs to fight flawlessly if he wants to win. There is simply no room for error, and a mental lapse would be disastrous.

The best thing to do with mistakes is to not make them. Yushin Okami needs to live by that tonight.