is a Japanese

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

. A professional competitor since 2002, Okami has competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

PRIDE Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

Pancrase Pancrase Inc. is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the Ancient Olympic Games. Suzuki and Funaki pr ...

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with othe ...

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

DEEP Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

, and

ONE Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

As an amateur, Okami fought in the pre-PRIDE 4 tournament, defeating two opponents before submitting Yuuki Tsutsui in the finals via triangle choke to win the tournament. He began his professional career in 2002, fighting in the GCM promotion and

, as well as making an appearance at Pride FC: The Best, Vol. 3, amassing a professional record of 7–0. In 2003, he competed in the

ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, is an international submission wrestling, submission grappling competition, organised by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC). The inaugural tournament was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 1998. It has been ...

, but was defeated by

Matt Lindland Matthew James Lindland (born May 17, 1970), also known as The Law, is an American retired mixed martial artist, Olympic wrestler, speaker, actor, coach, entrepreneur and politician. He won the Oregon Republican Party's nomination for t ...

. Also in 2003, he suffered his first professional MMA loss to

Amar Suloev Amar Suloev (January 7, 1976 – June 27, 2016) was a Russian mixed martial artist. Following his mixed martial arts career, Suloev became involved in the world of organized crime and was arrested and accused of being a contract killer. He died o ...

. Okami continued fighting in multiple promotions before arriving at

Rumble on the Rock Rumble on the Rock (also known as K-1 Rumble on the Rock) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company in promotion with K-1 and operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group and Rumble World Entertainment. Headquartered Hawaii, R ...

, where he entered a 175 lb tournament.

Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 and ...

Frank Trigg Dewey Franklin Trigg III (born May 7, 1972) is an American retired mixed martial artist, color commentator, pro wrestler, MMA referee and TV host. Trigg is a veteran of the UFC, Pride Fighting Championships, Rumble on the Rock, Icon Sport-(Icon ...

Carlos Condit Carlos Joseph Condit (born April 26, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the former Interim UFC Welterweight ...

, and

Jake Shields Jake Sequoyah Shields (born January 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and submission grappler. He was the last Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Champion, the only Elite XC Welterweight Champion, a former Shooto Welterweight ...

also competed in the tournament. In the opening round, Okami fought the future UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Silva controlled the fight on the feet before Okami secured a takedown. Okami landed a few blows from top position before Silva landed an illegal upkick to Okami's chin while both fighters were grounded, and Silva was in the guard position. Okami's knees were on the ground at the time, making the attack an illegal strike to the head of a downed opponent. Silva later said that the rule had not been properly explained to him before the bout. "When I fought Okami, the rules really weren't explained to me properly in the event I was fighting in," said Silva. "You could kick a downed opponent to the groin or to the head when your back's on the ground. So the rules weren't explained to me properly." Referee

Troy Mandaloniz ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra'' was the sixth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter'', and premiered on September 19, 2007 on Spike TV, after ''UFC Fight ...

held Silva back and gave the wobbled Okami time to recover. Okami could not recover, and the fight was declared a disqualification victory for Okami. Silva responded by asserting he "felt it was a cheap, cowardly way of winning," and that "people that were there saw that he was in the condition to come back and keep fighting, and he didn't." Moving on to the next round, Okami faced the future

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

welterweight and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion

, a tournament favorite. Okami lost a hard-fought majority decision to Shields, who went on to win the tournament.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2006–2007

By 2006, Okami had amassed a record of 17–3 and was the third-ranked Pancrase Middleweight fighter. He signed with the UFC and made his debut in the organization on the undercard of

UFC 62 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, defeating

Alan Belcher Alan Belcher (born April 24, 1984) is an American bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist. A professional from 2004 until 2015, he is perhaps best known for his 15-fight tenure with the UFC. Background Belcher was born in Jonesboro ...

by unanimous decision. He followed up less than two months later with a bout against

Kalib Starnes Kalib Starnes (born January 6, 1975) is a Canadian mixed martial artist. Early life Starnes became involved in the martial arts at an early age and began teaching when he was a teenager. He started training in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie Aca ...

at ''

UFC 64 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

''. He defeated Starnes by TKO due to strikes in the third round. Okami then signed on to make his third appearance in four months at

UFC 66 ''UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 30, 2006 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background ''UFC 66s main event was a championshi ...

. His original opponent was to be David Terrell, but Terrell withdrew due to an elbow injury and was replaced by

Rory Singer Rory Michael Singer (born May 28, 1976) is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Although Rory had made a name for himself as a 185-pound prospect; his big break came after meeting the producers of TUF. They were fil ...

. Okami defeated Singer by submission due to strikes late in the third round. After three victories in the UFC, Okami made his main card and broadcast debut at

UFC 69 ''UFC 69: Shootout'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 7, 2007, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. UFC 69 is most remembered for the main event, in which Matt Serra shocked the UFC W ...

against

Mike Swick Michael Timothy Swick (born June 19, 1979) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist, who spent most of his career competing for the UFC's middleweight division. Swick, who trains at American Kickboxing Academy alongside fellow welt ...

, who was riding a five-fight win streak in the UFC at the time. Okami won the bout via unanimous decision. Okami then participated in the 2007 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in the 87 kg (191 lb) division, but lost to eventual division winner

Demian Maia Demian Maia (born 6 November 1977) is a Brazilian professional submission grappler and mixed martial artist. He competed in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Maia is regarded as one ...

. In the UFC, however, Okami was riding a four-fight win streak. In his next bout, he faced former UFC Middleweight Champion

Rich Franklin Richard Jay Franklin II (born October 5, 1974) is an American businessman and retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame and a former UFC Midd ...

UFC 72 ''UFC 72: Victory'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event took place Saturday, 16 June 2007 at The Odyssey in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Background ''UFC 72'' continued the UFC's expansion into Eu ...

for the position of the #1 contender in the middleweight division. Franklin controlled the first two rounds, but Okami nearly sunk in a kimura in the third. Ultimately, all three judges scored the bout 29–28 in Franklin's favor.

2008–2009

Okami next faced

Jason MacDonald Jason Anthony MacDonald (born June 3, 1975) is a Canadian former mixed martial artist. A professional from 1999 until 2013, he is perhaps best remembered for his two stints in the UFC, but also fought for King of the Cage, and the Maximum Fight ...

UFC 77 ''UFC 77: Hostile Territory'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The event took place on Saturday, October 20, 2007, at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. Background The main event featured Ande ...

. MacDonald had also defeated Singer and lost to Franklin in his two previous bouts. Though

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

said that the winner might earn a title shot, the fight was placed on the undercard, possibly due to the fighters' lack of fan support. Okami dominated the fight with superior stand-up, takedown defense, and ground control en route to a unanimous decision victory. Okami next faced former UFC Middleweight Champion

Evan Tanner Evan Lloyd Tanner (February 11, 1971 – September 5, 2008) was an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a former UFC Middleweight Champion and was the first American to win the Pancrase Neo-Blood tournament in Tokyo, ...

in Tanner's first fight in two years. The fight occurred at

UFC 82 ''UFC 82: Pride of a Champion'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event that took place on March 1, 2008, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Background The main event was a UFC & Pride FC middleweight title unification match between UFC mid ...

on March 1, 2008, in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. After dropping Tanner with a straight left in round 1, Okami landed a knee in the

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

clinch position that knocked out Tanner 3 minutes into round 2. Okami was scheduled for a rematch with

for the Middleweight Championship at

UFC 90 ''UFC 90: Silva vs. Côté'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on October 25, 2008, at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Background The main event featured UFC Middleweigh ...

, but he was forced to drop out of the bout due to a broken hand. Patrick Côté was chosen to replace him. After his recovery, Okami faced 2003 ADCC Absolute Division gold medalist

Dean Lister Dean Richard Lister (born February 13, 1976) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2000 until 2015, he fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, PRIDE Fighting Championships, and California-based promotion King of t ...

UFC 92 ''UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on December 27, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The main event featured UFC Ligh ...

and earned a unanimous decision. Lister made frequent attempts to pull guard and take Okami down to the ground, but was not able to secure any submissions. The bout was considered tedious by spectators, but Okami was victorious. Okami was next scheduled to return at

UFC 98 ''UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on May 23, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background A title unification match between the Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir and U ...

against Dan Miller, but suffered a torn ligament and was not able to compete. Okami was next scheduled to return at

UFC 104 ''UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on October 24, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Background As with UFC 103, the UFC announced a portion of the preliminary card would ...

against

Chael Sonnen Chael Patrick Sonnen (; born April 3, 1977) is an American submission grappling promoter, mixed martial arts (MMA) analyst, and retired mixed martial artist. Beginning his MMA career in 1997, Sonnen competed for the Ultimate Fighting Champion ...

. Okami lost to Sonnen via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). After the fight, Okami trained at Team Quest with Sonnen for one month before returning to Japan. Sonnen stated in an interview “I want to say hello to my brother, Yushin through this interview. I am saddened that he returned to Japan – it feels like I parted with a close friend. Though Yushin lost against me, he came forward and asked to train with me: Is this a Japanese thing? It is admirable that he tried to learn from an opponent who defeated him. While at Team Quest in Portland, he thoroughly handled me during training. I was lucky that I managed to defeat him in our fight. I probably won’t agree to a rematch with him (laughs). The one fighter whom I never want to fight again – that is Yushin Okami.”

2010–2011

Okami defeated Lucio Linhares via TKO doctor stoppage at

UFC Fight Night 21 ''UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 21'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 31, 2010 at Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, This was the third time ...

. In his fight with Linhares, Okami showcased much improved striking skills which led to the stoppage. On August 1, 2010, Okami defeated

Mark Muñoz Oklahoma State Cowboys Mark Kenery Muñoz (born February 9, 1978) is a Filipino-American former professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competito ...

via split decision in the co-main event at UFC Live on Versus: 2. Okami was able to stuff most of Muñoz's takedowns and kept the fight standing where he showed superior striking, stunning Muñoz in the third round with a straight right counter. Okami was expected to face

Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavywe ...

on November 13, 2010, at

UFC 122 ''UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 13, 2010 at König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. This event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the ...

, with the winner facing

for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Belfort was then pulled from the fight, and

Nate Marquardt Nathan Joel Marquardt (born April 20, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the middleweight and welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 1999, he is a former Strikeforce W ...

was tapped to make a quick return to face Okami. Okami was able to control the center of the octagon and dictate the pace of the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory in what was a closely contested bout. Okami faced

UFC 134 ''UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami'' (also known as ''UFC Rio'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 27, 2011 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event was the second that t ...

on August 27, 2011, for the UFC Middleweight Championship. In this match, Okami was rocked badly by a headkick in the first round. In the second round, Okami was dropped by a straight-right and then dropped again this time by a right hook. He was finished and defeated via TKO in the second round.

2012–2013

Okami next faced Tim Boetsch on February 26, 2012, at

UFC 144 ''UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 26, 2012 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Venue UFC 144 was held at the Saitama Super Arena in the ...

. While Okami dominated the first two rounds, Boetsch claimed one of the biggest upsets of 2012 in Okami's home country in a brutal flurry of uppercuts from the clinch that left Okami losing in a devastating TKO comeback win for Boetsch in the final frame. Okami was expected to face

Luiz Cane Luiz is a Portuguese given name that is an alternative form of Luís. It's archaic in Portugal, but common in Brazil. Notable people referred to by this name include the following: People *Luiz Bonfá (1922-2001), Brazilian guitarist and composer ...

on August 11, 2012, at

UFC 150 ''UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 11, 2012, at the Pepsi Center now known as Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Background A fight between Dennis Hallman and ...

. However, Cane was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by

Rousimar Palhares Rousimar Christian Palhares (;, born February 20, 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, World Series of Fighting, and ...

. Palhares was also injured and replaced by Buddy Roberts. Okami won the fight via TKO in the second round. A rematch with

took place on December 29, 2012, at

UFC 155 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Okami won via unanimous decision for the second time. Okami next faced former

Bellator Middleweight Champion Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded B ...

Hector Lombard In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

at UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann on March 3, 2013. Okami won the bout via split decision. Okami faced

Ronaldo Souza Ronaldo Souza dos Santos (born December 7, 1979), nicknamed " Jacare" (), is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist and submission grappler who competed for UFC from 2013 to 2021. A highly regarded grappler on the worl ...

on September 4, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 28. He lost the fight via KO in the first round. Souza came out and rocked Okami, then shoved him in to the cage while throwing flurries of punches. Okami got back to the center of the cage, but Souza quickly hunted him down and unleashed a devastating overhand right dropping Okami. Then, he proceeded to finish the fight with brutal ground and pound. Despite being ranked as a top 10 Middleweight by most sources, Okami was released by the UFC on September 27, 2013. When asked via

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

why he released Okami,

President

remarked "Our roster is packed." When asked by

Yahoo Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo! Inc. (2017–present), Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds ma ...

Sports why he was releasing a highly ranked fighter who had won three of his last four bouts, White responded: "He was always a tough guy and was right up there, but it's almost like he'd become a gatekeeper. I like Okami, and you've heard me say this many times, that a win over Yushin Okami meant something ... But he was never able to get over the hump and win one of those ignificantfights. We have a lot of guys coming in and I've been saying this all year: We have a full roster and there are guys who deserve opportunities. When you bring guys in, someone has to go. That's why these fights are so meaningful."

World Series of Fighting

On October 13, 2013, it was announced that Okami had signed with

. He made his WSOF debut at WSOF 9, on March 29, 2014, against Svetlozar Savov. He won via arm triangle choke submission in the second round. In his second fight for the promotion, Okami faced David Branch for the WSOF middleweight championship at WSOF 15 on November 15, 2014. He lost the fight via TKO in the fourth round. Okami was scheduled to face Ryan Ford in the main event of WSOF 21 on June 5, 2015. However, Ford announced that he had to pull out of the fight with Okami due to an injury. On July 30, 2015, it was announced that Okami would be moving down to the welterweight division and facing

Jon Fitch Jonathan Parker Fitch (born February 24, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He has competed in the Welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and most recently for ...

on October 17, 2015, at WSOF 24. Okami lost the fight by unanimous decision. On September 13, 2016, it was announced that Okami would be facing Paul Bradley on December 31, 2016, at WSOF 34. He won the back-and-forth fight by split decision.

Professional Fighters League

Once the

was transformed into the Professional Fighters League, Okami was booked for the new promotion's second fight card. For his first fight with the promotion (technically his fifth fight under the promotion's management), he fought Andre Lobato. After three rounds, Okami defeated Lobato by unanimous decision.

Second run in the UFC

Okami replaced

Maurício Rua Maurício Milani Rua (; born 25 November 1981), also known as Shogun, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former model. He competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a forme ...

against

Ovince Saint Preux Ovince Saint Preux (born April 8, 1983) is a Haitian-American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor since 2008, Saint Preux has also formerly competed for Strikef ...

in a Light Heavyweight bout on September 23, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami. Despite less than a week notice, Okami had stated he was preparing for a potential fight at Middleweight, but jumped on the opportunity for another shot with the UFC. He lost the fight via submission in round one. Okami faced

Dhiego Lima Dhiego Lima (born January 31, 1989) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight division of the UFC. Mixed martial arts career Lima was born and spent his early childhood in the Brazilian city of Goiânia and b ...

in a welterweight bout on April 14, 2018, at

UFC on Fox 29 ''UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC on FOX 29'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on April 14, 2018, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Background After pr ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Okami faced Alexey Kunchenko on December 2, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 142 ''UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 142'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on 2 December 2018 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, Sou ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

ONE Championship

On February 20, 2019, it was reported that Okami was signed by

. Okami is expected to co-headline ONE Championship: For Honor against Kiamrian Abbasov on May 4, 2019. Okami lost his debut fight via second-round TKO. He was then set to face James Nakashima at ONE Championship: Dawn Of Heroes on August 2, 2019. Okami lost by unanimous decision. Okami won his next fight against Agilan Thani by split decision at ONE Championship: Century on October 13, 2019. Okami was scheduled to make his return against Leandro Ataides at ONE: Heavy Hitters on January 14, 2022. The bout was scrapped for unknown reasons. After over three years of inactivity, Okami was scheduled to face former ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion

Aung La Nsang Aung La Maung Nsang ( my, အောင်လအန်ဆန်း; born on May 21, 1985) is a Burmese-American mixed martial artist of ethnic Kachin descent currently signed to ONE Championship, competing in both the Middleweight and Light ...

ONE on Prime Video 4 ''ONE on Prime Video 4: Abbasov vs. Lee'' (also known as ''ONE Fight Night 4'') was a Combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on November 19, 2022 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background The or ...

on November 19, 2022. However, the bout was postponed to

ONE 163 ''ONE 163: Akimoto vs. Petchtanong'' was a Combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on November 19, 2022, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background A ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship b ...

for undisclosed reasons. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 37–15 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 37–14 , Agilan Thani , Decision (split) , ONE: Century Part 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 36–14 , James Nakashima , Decision (unanimous) , ONE: Dawn of Heroes , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

, Philippines , , - , Loss , align=center, 36–13 , Kiamrian Abbasov , TKO (punches) , ONE: For Honor , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:10 ,

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

, Indonesia , , - , Loss , align=center, 36–12 , Alexey Kunchenko , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 36–11 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the la ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 35–11 ,

, Technical Submission (

Von Flue choke A chokehold, choke, stranglehold or, in Judo, shime-waza ( ja, 絞技, translation=constriction technique) is a general term for a grappling hold that critically reduces or prevents either air (choking)''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' ( ...

) , UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:50 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 35–10 , Andre Lobato , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Everett, Washington Everett is the county seat and largest city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-largest city in the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 34–10 , Paul Bradley , Decision (split) , WSOF 34 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 33–10 , Shingo Suzuki , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pancrase 279 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 32–10 ,

Ryuta Sakurai Ryuta Sakurai (born September 8, 1971) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently competes in the middleweight division. A veteran who fought for many companies such as Shooto, Pancrase and PRIDE. Nicknamed Mr. DEEP, he is best known for ...

, TKO (corner stoppage) , DEEP 75 Impact: 15th Anniversary , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:23 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 31–10 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , WSOF 24 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mashantucket, Connecticut Mashantucket is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northeast part of the town of Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It consists of land held by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Resort ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 31–9 , David Branch , TKO (punches) , WSOF 15 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:39 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 31–8 , Svetlozar Savov , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , WSOF 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:46 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 30–8 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Bader , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:47 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 30–7 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 29–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 28–7 , Buddy Roberts , TKO (punches) ,

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Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 27–7 , Tim Boetsch , KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:54 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 27–6 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 27–5 ,

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Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 26–5 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–5 , Lucio Linhares , TKO (doctor stoppage) , UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:47 ,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–4 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–4 ,

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Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Northern Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 21–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–3 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 ,

Izuru Takeuchi Izuru Takeuchi is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist who competed in the middleweight division. He is a veteran of both the Pancrase and Shooto organizations, and is the former Middleweight King of Pancrase. Outside of mixed martial arts, ...

, TKO (punches) , GCM: D.O.G. 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:39 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 , Ji Won Bang , TKO (punches) , MARS: World Grand Prix , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:38 ,

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–3 ,

, Decision (majority) , Rumble on the Rock 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 ,

, DQ (illegal upkick) , Rumble on the Rock 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Myun Joo Lee , TKO (corner stoppage) , Hero's 2005 in Seoul , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:14 ,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Damien Riccio , TKO (punches) , GCM: D.O.G. 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:44 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Nick Thompson , Submission (elbow injury) , GCM: D.O.G. 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Brian Foster , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , GCM: D.O.G. 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:53 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Eiji Ishikawa , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: Brave 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 ,

Falaniko Vitale Falaniko "Niko" Vitale is a retired American mixed martial artist. He competed in the Middleweight division and has fought in the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, the IFL, and King of the Cage. He is a former SuperBrawl Middleweight Champion, and ...

, Decision (split) , SuperBrawl 36 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

PRIDE Bushido 2 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

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Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Kousei Kubota , TKO (punches) , GCM: Demolition 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:47 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , M-1 MFC: Russia vs. the World 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:44 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Kazuhiro Hanada , TKO (punches) , GCM: Demolition 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:47 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Hidehiko Hasegawa , Decision (unanimous) , GCM: Demolition 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 ,

Hikaru Sato is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, better known by the ring name . Sato started his MMA career in February 2000, fighting for Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling. During the next eight years, Sato fought, on average, five time ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: Hybrid 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Sen Nakadai , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: Spirit 8 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Steve White , Submission (punches) , PRIDE FC: The Best, Vol. 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:25 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Kyosuke Sasaki , Decision (unanimous) , GCM: Demolition 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Hidehisa Matsuda , TKO (punches) , Pride The Best Vol.2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:52 ,

, Japan ,

In popular culture

Okami’s likeness was used as an inspiration to design the Titan form of Eren Jaeger from

Hajime Isayama is a Japanese manga artist. His first series, '' Attack on Titan'' (2009–2021), became one of the best-selling manga series of all time with 110 million copies in circulation as of September 2022. Biography Isayama was born in Ōyama, Ōi ...

's manga/anime series ''

Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to as ...

''.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Okami, Yushin 1981 births Living people Japanese male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Japanese practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Japanese male judoka People from Kanagawa Prefecture Wajitsu Keishukai Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters