Is Yushin Okami Really a Possible Title Challenger?

Since his debut in the UFC four years ago at UFC 62, Yushin Okami has amassed one of the more impressive resumes in the middleweight division. Including his win over Mark Munoz on Sunday, Okami's record sits at 9-2, with notable victories over Alan Belcher, Mike Swick—who Okami sent down a weight division after the loss—and former champion Evan Tanner.

While Okami is a known entity by the fans, only three of those fights have been on the main card of a pay-per-view, and all but three of those wins have come by decision. His two losses are both to elite talent in former champ Rich Franklin and Chael Sonnen, who at the time of me writing this, challenges for the title tomorrow.

In the past week, Dana White has been quoted as saying Okami “is due for a title shot.” But is this just talk, or will we really be seeing “Thunder” against the winner of tomorrow's main event?

First, let's examine Okami's fellow top contenders.

There is little doubt to anyone that follows the UFC that the company is looking for a big fight to involve veteran Vitor Belfort. Since returning to the company, Belfort impressively knocked out Rich Franklin in the first round at UFC 103, and then was slated to face champion Anderson Silva at UFC 112, before an elbow injury forced him to pull out of the fight. Belfort has not fought since and should be ready for an appearance very soon.

And what about Nate Marquardt? He was a stone's throw away from fighting Silva again for the gold, until the opportunistic Sonnen snatched the shot away from him in a stunning upset at UFC 109. But one loss shouldn't be the end of the story for the incredibly talented Marquardt, should it?

There are many that pictured Nate as the future champion of the division and his comeback begins next month in the main event of Fight Night 22 against Rousimar Palhares. No easy task there, but Marquardt should be a heavy favorite.

How many more fights should Marquardt have to win before he reclaims his top contender status?

Alan Belcher is the dark horse in the race, with wins over former title challenger Patrick Cote, Dennis Kang, and Wilson Gouveia. Certainly Belcher has the entertainment factor on his side, as his fights rarely lose the eyes of even the shortest UFC fan's attention span.

Of course, it is never all about the wins in getting your way to the top in the UFC. The fans have to want to see it. If they won't buy the fight, then the UFC likely won't sell it.

In rating the popularity of these four contenders, Belfort is surely at the top and Okami probably at the bottom. In a perfect world, title shots would come to those most deserving for their accomplishments, but this is a business as well as a sport. Okami doesn't usually produce fireworks—not to mention he doesn't speak English—and so he most likely will be forced to go through the toughest route to the title of them all.

But considering Okami's fighting style, that doesn't seem all that bad. He fights safe and methodical, and to jump ahead of the line, you have to gamble.

Belcher is regularly seen taking chances in his fights and that is what makes him so exciting and fun to watch. He walks the edge of possibly getting caught with the right punch and losing the status he has worked so hard for, in an effort to jump ahead and stick in the minds of the fans.

Okami fights at a steady pace devoid of dangerous risks because he wants to stay near the top of his division and can't risk an embarrassing defeat. It is with that same methodical pace that he will climb up the middleweight ranks and, if he keeps winning, eventually earn that shot at the belt.

Presumably, Okami will have to fight another one of these top contenders in an eliminator, instead of just getting the shot based off of his name and status in the sport, like Vitor Belfort.

I would like to see Okami and Marquardt square off with the winner getting the title chance, once Belfort has had his crack. Marquardt should have to work hard for the shot since he has already had one and failed. And for all of Okami's wins in the UFC, he did lose to Sonnen just two fights ago, so he should have to prove himself worthy of the No. 1 title.

So, is Okami in the title mix? Certainly. But he has more work ahead of him if he is to convince fans that he is worth the money that is spent on pay-per-view title fights.