My Thoughts On UFC 134 RIO: Silva vs. Okami

UFC 134 is upon us.

Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami

Some might know it as the event where UFC went to Brazil. Others might know it as the day Anderson Silva tore Yushin Okami into a million, bajillion pieces.

This is another one of those what were you thinking matches.

Anderson Silva is a video game character that fights as he pleases. When Silva knocked out Tony Fryklund with a reverse elbow, he later revealed in interviews that he learned the technique from Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, an otherwise excellent movie. He also claims that Steven Seagal taught him more than a few things.

Think about that for a second.

Yushin Okami has a great record but is unimpressive in his performance. The UFC keeps on saying that he’s the only man to beat Silva in the last six years. They’re ignoring the fact that it was a DQ, an upkick by Silva that nearly knocked Okami’s head off.

Let’s break down the skills.

STRIKING

I give it to Anderson Silva. And they say there are no stupid questions.

Silva has front kicks, reverse elbows, Dance-Dance-Revolution type footwork and a stiff left hand. He’s really great at keeping people outside of range with his movement and reach (although Chael Sonnen managed to solve that problem) His clinch is amazing. Silva is also super at knocking people out.

Yushin Okami has a good left hand and by the looks of it, hits really hard for his weight but he’s definitely not as accurate or creative as Silva.

WRESTLING

Yushin Okami. Okami controls people on the ground with his weight and he overwhelms opponents with strikes. I don’t know about his double-leg though. I get the feeling that Okami will have a harder time dragging Silva to the ground then Chael Sonnen did.

SUBMISSIONS

Anderson Silva. This guy’s jiu-jitsu is surprisingly decent and he’s developed a pretty good guard over the years. Silva has submitted Travis Lutter and Chael Sonnen with triangles. He also choked out Dan Henderson with an RNC. Okami may have great wrestling but Silva’s better at ripping arms and heads off.

So who do we give it to?

The safe bet is Silva. Yushin Okami really has no competitive advantage. He’s strong and that shows in his wrestling but he’s no Georges St. Pierre. With Okami you’re not getting a knockout artist or a submission artist. Anderson Silva is an excellent athlete with incredible technical skills.

I’ll be honest. I want Okami to win. It’d be interesting to see what kind of game plan he implements. The fighter that dethrones Anderson Silva is new slice unto himself.

But being realistic…

Silva by KO, 2nd round.

Shogun Rua vs. Forrest Griffin

Bottom Line
Forrest Griffin by Unanimous Decision. Shogun’s lost his momentum and he’s getting old. Forrest is getting better every fight and he already has a submission win over Shogun. Forrest has a face-to-foot attitude but watching his recent fights with Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin, you can tell that he’s getting increasingly technical. His game plan for Franklin was spot-on.

Brendan Schaub vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Bottom Line
Brendan Schaub is young, hungry and hits exceptionally hard but he lacks the experience that Nogueira brings to the table. Nogueira’s resilience to strikes has declined over the years but he’s still one tough pecker. I don’t see Schaub knocking him out either. His jiu-jitsu is second to none but I’m unsure of his ability/willingness to take this fight to the ground. Nogueira might pull of a submission victory in the third round but if he doesn’t Schaub will most likely get the nod for a UD.

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