Jacare Souza vs. Yushin Okami Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC president Dana White said prior to UFC 160 that the organization was eyeing a fight between Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Yushin Okami later this year.

According to MMAFighting.com, Jacare has accepted the challenge.

At this time, the bout looks like a forgone conclusion, but ink has not met paper. Okami is currently ranked No. 3 and Jacare No. 5. The fight could potentially determine the next middleweight contender.

Jacare is coming off a successful UFC debut against Chris Camozzi, and is the winner of four in a row. Okami has put together three straight of his own. They are truly two of the elite middleweights in the world today. This fight will help clear some of the air in the division.

Let's take a peek at a breakdown of the potential bout between the middleweight contenders.

Striking

The stand-up battle between Jacare and Okami will be the most interesting of any category. They are evenly matched.

Okami has a more boxing-centric attack. His straight left is probably his best weapon. Jacare is the faster and more diverse striker of the two. The initial lean goes to Jacare.

However, when factoring in the defensive aspects of striking, the scale tilts ever so slightly toward Okami.

Both are fine strikers, but Okami's defense gets him a slight edge. Each fighter has to be wary of their opponent's striking game.

Edge: Okami 

Wrestling

When it comes to wrestling, Okami has the clear edge.

Jacare is very good at getting fights to the ground and works well from the clinch. However, Okami is simply superior. Okami's brute strength will play a major role in the clinch game.

The Brazilian has dominated plenty of his opponents, but he has struggled against top-tier talent. Okami won't be easily put on the canvas. Should the Japanese sensation take top position, Jacare will have a tough time mounting offense with his fantastic jiu-jitsu.

Jacare can get this down, but he will have to be creative in doing so.

Edge: Okami 

Submissions

There is absolutely no doubt who the better submission stylist is. Jacare may be the best jiu-jitsu practitioner in the division.

If he gets into a position to lock in a submission, he will finish Okami. He is on a different level.

Okami's submission game shouldn't be overlooked. He has quality submissions of his own, and does well in the defensive department. However, even though he has good defense, he won't want to play with fire against Jacare.

The Brazilian is a finisher in this department, and one of the most exciting submission artists in the sport today.

Edge: Jacare

X-Factors

Jacare's X-Factor: Getting the Fight to the Mat

Jacare can hold his own on the feet, but his best bet is to get the fight to the ground. That is no easy task against Okami.

If Jacare can find success in the takedown department, it will be a long night for the former title contender. Jacare has solid takedowns in the clinch, but if he can establish his striking as a threat, that will open even more avenues to him.

Okami's X-Factor: Clinch Work

Okami's clinch game will be a major factor in this fight.

As mentioned above, Jacare has solid takedowns from the clinch himself. If Okami can prevent those from happening, he will be able to control Jacare against the fence. He can grind on Jacare.

Fans may not want that, but it is a great tool for Okami to utilize. He is a huge middleweight with immense strength. Controlling Jacare and wearing on him will help Okami trend towards another title shot. 

Prediction

This is a fantastic fight between two of the world's best. Kudos to everyone involved if the contracts are signed.

I believe Jacare will pick up the win and look like a new title threat.

Okami may have taken a couple of the categories and he may have physical advantages in this fight, but Jacare's diverse attack will be the determining factor.

Jacare will establish his striking early on, and from that point on Okami will be thinking about what Jacare will do next. That will give him the split seconds he needs to score points. I don't envision Okami being stopped in a three-round fight against Jacare, but he will have a hard time scoring points against the more athletic fighter.

Jacare takes this to the scorecards.

Prediction: Jacare Souza defeats Yushin Okami by unanimous decision