UFC 133 Fight Card: Should Yoshihiro Akiyama Be Considered a Bust in the UFC?

Yoshihiro Akiyama should not be considered a bust in the UFC because expectations on him coming in should have been on par with his performance.

Anyone who expected or thought that Akiyama would come in and really contend for the title in the best promotion in the world may not be educated in their Japanese fighter history.

No Japanese fighter has ever come over here and really shown that he can be favored over any top five in any weight class. That is part of what makes the upcoming fight with Yushin Okami and Anderson Silva somewhat intriguing. Can Okami get over that hump for Japanese fighters everywhere?

Akiyama has a very large following in his native country, mostly through his international prowess as a judoka and his public persona. His record and showing as a fighter, while impressive, did not guarantee him success in the UFC.

I think Akiyama has made out very well getting the matchups he has had in the UFC. His fights against Leben and Bisping were good, solid chances to make a push into the top 10 or top five over here in North America. I picked Akiyama to lose those fights based on his size and power disadvantage

A Japanese fighter can be craftier and more skilled, but they have to land one and a half shots to that of most bigger guys they face in the West.

His matchup against Vitor Belfort is another one of those opportunities that I don't think Akiyama is good enough to win. It's not as if he won't die trying, but he will be just a step behind Vitor all night.

A bust is described as someone who fails to live up to the enormous hype and expectations that they carry with them for skill, history or whatever the reason. Akiyama should not have been expected to beat Leben or Bisping in my opinion and therefore can hardly be considered a bust.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Feature Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA (also a correspondent for MMACanada.net).

Catch him on Twitter @wakafightermma .