Yushin Okami, Chael Sonnen Fight To Stay in the UFC

Every single time a fighter steps into the Octagon, there is a lot on the line. The old saying is that a fighter is only ever as good as his last fight. That's not completely true though, as some fighters like Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddell have earned enough fan support to stay around seemingly as long as they still have the desire to fight.

Guys like Yushin Okami and Chael Sonnen aren't so lucky.

Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami are both pretty good fighters. In fact, Yushin Okami has become a fixture near the top of most middleweight rankings. Despite the accomplishments both fighters have achieved, I feel that when they meet at UFC 104, they may be fighting just to remain in the UFC.

Sonnen and Okami are very similar fighters. They're both elite grapplers, and they've both been labeled as boring by many fans.

The fact that both fighters remain in the UFC is possibly the best example to argue that the UFC does in fact reward fighters for winning, and not just for being exciting.

But even if the UFC does want to keep fighters with fighting ability, regardless of marketability, they don't want their roster filled with those types of fighters. As for the example of Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami, the UFC really only needs one of them.

I'm certain that UFC matchmaker Joe Silva has thought this very thing himself before creating the matchup between Okami and Sonnen. Two boring wrestlers, and there can be only one.

Chael Sonnen must be on dangerous ground right now, after dropping a loss to Demian Maia and then grinding out a decision over Dan Miller. Certainly the UFC won't be happy with him if he loses another boring fight to Yushin Okami.

Okami has a better record, so you might be inclined to think that he'll be safe, but I'm not completely sure about that either.

There are a few benefits for keeping Okami, even if he does lose. For one thing, he's already being used to help market the UFC in Japan. Having an extra Japanese contender around can never be a bad idea, even if they've already got Yoshihiro Akiyama.

Furthermore, as already said, the UFC does like to keep the image that they're retaining the best fighters in the world. As a top 10 middleweight, Okami is one of the guys that fits that image. He also owns a win over Anderson Silva, albeit a win by disqualification.

Aside from the benefits of keeping Okami, there are also some drawbacks. As far as Japan is concerned, Okami is hardly necessary at this point. The UFC has Akiyama, who is far more marketable, as well as UFC champion Lyoto Machida, a Brazilian with Japanese heritage.

Plus there's a whole host of guys from Pride that can be brought in, should the UFC ever again hold an event in Japan.

If Okami loses to Sonnen, his ranking will also drop, giving another reason for the UFC to get rid of him. Plus, because Okami is such a dangerous fighter, the UFC doesn't want to put him in the Octagon against any of the UFC stars, where he might either win, or simply cause trouble by putting on a boring fight.

Even if Okami wins, the UFC doesn't really gain as much from him as before. Anderson Silva's recent successes, along with Okami's frequent injuries have done much to dampen any enthusiasm for an Okami-Silva rematch.

So all of these things considered, I think that when Sonnen and Okami face off, they may indeed be fighting for their jobs. It's a good old-fashioned "retirement match." If that doesn't make you excited about Okami vs Sonnen, nothing will.