Yushin Okami: Where's My Title Shot?

The UFC middleweight title picture seems to be pretty cloudy these days, and with Vitor Belfort's exciting return to the UFC, it seems things have become hazier.

Anderson Silva has stated that he feels Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt should have to fight one another to establish a true No. 1 contender. While I agree—they should and I would love to see that matchup—doing this would keep the middleweight title on the shelf even longer.

What does the UFC do? They bring back Vitor Belfort.

At UFC 103 Belfort made his triumphant return to the octagon with a KO of former MW champ Rick Franklin.

As it stands right now, it looks as if that KO is all Belfort needed to jump to the head of the line and battle Anderson Silva for his title. It has been rumored that Silva and Belfort will collide at UFC 108 for the company's marquee end-of-year show.

With everything that has transpired and with all the talk about who should get the next title shot, there is one person that continues to receive no respect and garner no mention as a contender.

That man is Yushin "Thunder" Okami.

All Okami has done since coming over to the UFC is compile a 7-1 record, with his lone loss coming by way of decision to Rich Franklin. Okami is currently riding a three-fight win streak and is set to take on the always game Chael Sonnen at UFC 104. Hopefully with a win, Okami will finally be able to garner the respect and admiration that he deserves.

There is no reason that Okami should continually be relegated to the undercard. He is too good a fighter to be passed over.

I understand that this is a business and a big part of the business is in the marketing of fights. I realize that Okami is not the most marketable fighter out there. But…who is really to blame for his lack of marketability?

I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of Zuffa. They have failed to make Okami relevant and known to the casual fan by keeping him on the non-televised portion of the fight cards he takes part in.

The UFC has truly done itself a disservice.

Yushin Okami is a solid fighter with a great resume and he has the skills to present a challenge to anyone standing across from him in that cage.

It is a shame to see such a talented fighter get overlooked and remain unappreciated.