Yushin Okami vs. Mark Munoz: UFC on Versus 2 Preview

There are several developing stories surrounding the upcoming bout between Yushin Okami and Mark Munoz, including associations with Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, as well as the UFC's future in Asia. Aside from those things, the fight itself is an intriguing and relevant one for the middleweight division.

How Do Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva Fit In?

Silva and Sonnen will be fighting each other soon enough, but there may be a moral victory on the line when Okami faces Munoz.

On Munoz's side is Anderson Silva.

Munoz has spent quite a bit of his time training at Black House with Anderson Silva, who he calls a brother. Munoz has received a lot of press coverage in anticipation of his bout with Okami, and he's been very vocal in telling people that Silva says Okami has nothing to offer him.

On Okami's side is his former opponent and conqueror, Chael Sonnen.

Sonnen scored a victory over Okami last year by picking Okami apart on the feet and controlling him with his wrestling. Okami was devastated by the loss, which was considered a big upset at the time, and he asked Sonnen if he could train with him.

Okami spent a few weeks training with Sonnen at Team Quest, and Sonnen has had nothing but praise to say about Okami since then:

"I beat him in our fight, but I don’t think I’ve beaten him a round since."

Sonnen has gone on to say that Okami is the toughest person he's ever fought and that nobody is going to be able to stop him.

It's hard to trust anything that comes out of Sonnen's mouth these days, and everything should be taken with a grain of salt, but it'll be interesting to see if Okami can validate what appears to be a big vote of confidence from Sonnen.

The UFC in Asia

Okami is currently the Japanese fighter with the best chance of having success in the UFC, while Munoz (the Phillipino Wrecking Machine) has some obvious Asian heritage.

The winner of the fight will probably be a key part of the UFC's future attempts to gain popularity in Asia.

Title Implications

Okami lost his shot at the UFC title when he was forced out because of injury. Patrick Cote took his spot. Since that time, Okami has lost to Chael Sonnen and bounced back against Lucio Linhares. If Okami impresses like he did against Linhares, a title shot may not be far off.  Okami already owns a win over Silva that came via disqualification after an illegal upkick from Silva.

Munoz can put himself a lot closer to the title if he beats Okami. He doesn't have as strong of a record as Okami does, but a win here will give him two consecutive high-profile wins and a four-fight winning streak. With that behind him, he can't be too far away from a shot at the belt.

The Fight Itself

Okami is a very well-rounded fighter who possesses crisp striking and strong wrestling skills, while Munoz is a wrestler and ground-and-pound specialist. Because of Munoz's relatively one-dimensional skill-set, the fight should end up playing out much like a classic striker vs. grappler matchup.

Okami should be able to pick apart Munoz on the feet, unless he gets caught by one of Munoz's wild flurries. The deciding factor in this fight should be the wrestling.

Okami is known for his own dominating wrestling and top-game, but Munoz, much like Sonnen, is one of the few guys in the division with a better wrestling pedigree, although not the same level of submission grappling.

If Okami can force Munoz to stand with him, he should have a huge advantage and can knock Munoz out. If Munoz can take Okami down, Munoz can finish him off with his brutal brand of ground-and-pound.