Yushin Okami reflects on 'utter defeat' at the hands of Chael Sonnen at UFC 104
by Akimitsu Kuwabara on Oct 25, 2009 4:34 PM EDT
47 comments
Props: MMAplanet.jp
Quoteworthy:
"It was a complete, utter defeat. Reflecting on the fight, I have thoughts like, 'I should have done this, I should have done that,' but they are indications that my ability as a fighter proved insufficient. Sonnen was tough. When I stuffed the first takedown, I found myself in the clinch position which is normally my domain; however, I was surprised to be scooped up from underneath and thrown on the mat when I tried to fire off a knee from the position. He was more powerful than I imagined, and left me confounded as to what I should do next, and he kept up with his offense. I have never experienced anything like this before. For this fight, I had the best training possible, so I am disappointed about this loss. At the same time, I think I saw the limitation of the environment in which I find myself in (in terms of training). In Japan, I inevitably face a shortage of training partners and I often find myself on the offensive during training. Though I try to improve and diversify my training routine, I probably hit the ceiling at some point. I have the option of uprooting myself and training overseas... if I continue to train in Japan, I feel that I will end up becoming complacent, so I want to go back to square one and challenge myself. I feel that there is a need for me to train with training partners who are bigger than me. In order to win in UFC, I have trained to not be taken down and end up on the bottom on the ground; I thought I had the right approach, but I had not thought about what I would do if I did end up in a disadvantageous position. I was lax in my approach. Losing my passport (NOTE: He lost his passport right before he flew out of Japan and arrived in LA a day later than was originally scheduled to) ? It had no bearing on the fight. With all that said, I am very glad that I got to fight a tough fighter like Chael Sonnen. I am disappointed because I have never experienced a loss like this -- it is up to me use this as a learning experience, so I would like to carefully ruminate how I can improve and implement (what I learned) in my fights."
The most telling part of this comment is his concern about not having the optimal training environment in Japan. Has he simply become too big and strong that he has exhausted the training partners who present a challenge with physical strength? Or has the training environment at his longtime home of Wajutsu Keishukai grown stale -- especially given the recent departure of some of the high-profile fighters (i.e. Caol Uno, Eiji Mitsuoka) from the camp?
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Okami needs to find a camp within the US. AKA might be a good fit for his style. There’s just not that many camps in Japan that can help Okami train for big American wrestlers.
by n4tacon on Oct 25, 2009 4:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Sorry’ the Shogun Thread is over there…
by DAVE A on Oct 26, 2009 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Shogun got robbed. Bandwagons closed. I have a mental note of all of you punks that bashed me and told me he was going to get destroyed. I remember all the fans who tried to say that the Pride shogun was dead…Maybe so, but a better, patient and more technical Shogun has emerged as the UFC LHW champion!
War Rua! Best LHW fighter in the world! and CURRENT UFC LHW champion. Machida is the one getting an immediate rematch!
by john G on Oct 26, 2009 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If Shogun takes out Lyoto in the rematch you can bet your ass that Anderson will look to take him out in turn. Anderson is an extremely humble guy and likes to say things like “I am not the greatest fighter” and “I can’t touch Lyoto when we spar” but in my opinion that is just him being humble. Anderson will f*ck up your boy if he gets through Lyoto next time. That will be Shogun’s reward.
by Adam T. on Oct 26, 2009 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Every MMA fighter take note!!!! This is hands down the BEST reaction to a loss I have every read. No whining, no excuses, just honest self-criticism. Okami just gained a lot of respect in my eyes.
by Cole on Oct 25, 2009 4:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
agreed, i was impressed by sonnens performance but im even more impressed with yushins comments after the fight. yushin is a top 10 mw and with the right camp could become alot more dangerous than he already is
by Jared on Oct 25, 2009 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Triple agreed. I can’t help but think that AKA would be a good fit for Okami. He’s got a decent wrestling base and they’d improve that. Same for his striking. All the other major camps (Quest, Jackson’s, Black House) have some MWs already so it’d be hard to compete at other camps. Either way, I’m up for seeing Okami’s next bout.
by n4tacon on Oct 25, 2009 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I felt the same way….Rampage Jackson should take note big time!!! I have a question….. If he is admitting that Japan doesn’t have the training camps that US does, what does that say about past Pride Champions? Also what would the renewed Shogun do to Forrest?
by Robert(1) on Oct 25, 2009 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
forest won the lottery when he got that shogun who had his blown knee and wasn’t focused on training from his wedding. the results prove this and a second fight would not be close.
by Jared on Oct 25, 2009 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Spot on from Okami, that is how you should react to a loss. If he can find a top camp outside of Japan with world class grapplers that are closer to his size so he can develop his skills further, as good as Uno is he’s too small for a huge MW like Okami to be training with. AKA would be a great camp for Okami. He could also look to train with the quality wrestlers that GSP does, they helped evolve his grappling to another level.
by David W-S on Oct 25, 2009 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
David W-S… I wholeheartedly agree Okami, seems to be a smart guy… this is exactly what he needs, to uproot himself and get into a camp full of UFC fighters… he’s 28 yrs old and yet to hit his prime, I predict a new improved Okami by 2011 when he hits 30yrs.
by DAVE A on Oct 26, 2009 12:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Robert, it says nothing about past Pride champions. First of all, a lot of Pride champions were from other countries, not just Japan. Second, Okami was remarking upon the current state of the camps in Japan, not when Pride was the equal (at least) of the UFC.
by pantherhare on Oct 26, 2009 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Robert – i don’t think it says anything about Past japanese champions from Pride- all of them were foreigners except for Gomi and well all the best LWs fought there because that was the only place they could. His run at LW is still unrivaled. And now all of them are coming stateside in search of $$$ which in turn which makes the US the new breeding ground for evolving the fight game because of all the knowledge from across the globe concentrating in one spot. Also MMA first became recognized as a sport here. In japan it’s always been entertainment. Hell even guys like Aoki don’t care to fight in Japan anymore. Cross-training and professionalism amongst and b/t teams too since the rivalries of the old days are dead.
Shogun would absolutely rip forrest’s guts out and feed them to his overhyped trainer Couture.
by NameNotRequired on Oct 26, 2009 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lay off that Shogun Cool-Aid guys. It’s bad for you. It is known to cause Excuse-itis. Completely agree about Okami. I’ll be rooting for him to go on a tear after this loss. Impressed with Sonnen as well.
On a side note I think any time someone doesn’t live up to their expectations I will start calling that: “Pulling a Shogun.”
by wAyNe on Oct 26, 2009 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fock off wayne! When a fighter shows heart by not pulling out of a fight and shows what a warrioor he is by fighting with a serious injury, I will call that PULLLING A SHOGUN!
You guys have been faming me about Shogun since his fight with Forrest. I finally feel vindicated and would like to say a BIG FOCK YOU! to alll of you haters!
by john G on Oct 26, 2009 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Forrest is garbage and Shogun is the best LHW iin the world, so unfortunately I will never get to see the destruction of forrest by the real Shogun. anyone stilll think Forrest beat Shogun?
by john G on Oct 26, 2009 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And by the way Forrest did beat Shogun (and Rampage also) so get over it. Lyoto also beat Shogun. As far as I know the belt is in Belem with Lyoto.
by Adam T. on Oct 26, 2009 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That is what I thought the whole time I was reading this. Could you imagine the levels fighters would reach if they all sat down after losses and thought this way…I would love to see Yushin become a more well rounded fighter out side of the playing it safe style he has now.
by Da Monkey on Oct 25, 2009 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Cole, I agree 100%. I’ve never seen a response like this. It’s straight forward, truthful and honest. Not that others aren’t honest, I just dig his humility here.
by MMACrossfire on Oct 26, 2009 9:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am very shocked right now. Yushin finally recognizes what is wrong with his game. The man fights with no strategy and did the Antonio McKee style because no one could ever stop him. It’s great that he wants to come stateside for training. The US is where it’s at if you want to reach your potential in MMA unless you’re one of those unique fighters where it comes to naturally. Even then the resources here are still incomparable to everywhere else. This loss might actually be a good thing coz we Yushin fans might see him evolve into something better.
by NameNotRequired on Oct 25, 2009 4:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
takes balls to admit that..and it’s true..i was shocked at how he was walked through..most def he should switch camps..usa..uk..brazil..anywhere that would help him with big strong opponents..oh yeah..canada too..lol
by sarah on Oct 25, 2009 4:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
What a great reaction to a loss. Hopefully the UFC keeps him around and he gets a couple explosive wins to win the American fans over. The guys very talented and big for his weight class
by John on Oct 25, 2009 5:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Nobody wins without a solid gameplan. Except if you’re Fedor of course.
by Syd on Oct 25, 2009 5:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
because fedors got the money and the company behind him..
by guyverbob on Oct 25, 2009 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They are only behind him because he’s got a rope and is pulling them, they are nothing without him
by Andy C on Oct 25, 2009 8:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If he hasn’t been drilling how to get out of bad positions, then heck yeah Yushin, you need to step up the training a little bit bro! I want to call BS on that statement, but given his overall sincerity here, I think he might actually be telling the truth. And for the first time ever, I think I’m actually looking forward to seeing his next fight.
by just some dong on Oct 25, 2009 5:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Classy fighter with a classy loss, hope to see him again.
by Oskarbravo on Oct 25, 2009 7:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I wish it was possible to send these fan comments to Yushin, I think it would be very motivating.
by M1Oghigian on Oct 25, 2009 8:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I think he’s telling the truth. He needs to be over here or Canada grappling with some of the best in the business. He needs to be at Quest but I think Chael is already over there seeing as Lindland was in his corner. 205 is overstacked anyway. Maybe he can train with Rashad Evans?
by Ed on Oct 25, 2009 10:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
training with rashad means training with Nate which i don’t think will happen.
i say go to AKA and train with
Velasquez
Fitch
Koscheck
by nelson on Oct 25, 2009 11:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Wrong, wrong, wrong! Don’t you see? It was his hair. He needs to bleach it again if he wants to win!
On a serious note, very disappointed by his loss. And it is true, if he starts training with a decent camp in the US, he will be in the title contention in no time.
by Toro AM on Oct 25, 2009 11:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
so glad Okami got his ass kicked…hopefully it puts the okami vs anderson fight bull shit to bed!!!!!! That would have been a total waste of time!
by Robbo on Oct 26, 2009 6:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
from reading that i like him even more now…u cant get more humble than Okami is right there
by MuayThaiMachine on Oct 26, 2009 7:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
its the constant pressure of being a foriegn fighter. I have thought for awhile that part of Michael Bisping’s problems have been his burden of being Britian’s top MMA fighter and he needs to get out of England and find a camp in the US to really be the best. Okami realizes it.
Dan Hardy is the best example. He has a British camp, but he’s out in LA for months working with Freddie Roach among others. There just isn’t good enough training partners across either ocean for big time European fighters to prepare for animals that train in Brazil, America, and Canada.
by Chris on Oct 26, 2009 8:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Spot on, MMA is still a growing sport in this country and it to compete with the best in the world you have to be well rounded and if you only train in a country that lacks a prominent MMA camp full of quality trainers and training partners then you’re going to struggle. The fact that amateur wrestling is not a school sport puts all British fighters at a disadvantage and BJJ isn’t big in this country either (though if any British mixed martial artist has any sense they’ll train at Roger Gracie’s London gym), so it’s difficult to develop these crucial grappling skills in Britain.
Hardy is a good example of someone who trains abroad to develop his skills and if Bisping followed his lead instead of relying solely on a limited camp like Wolfslair then he’d be a much better fighter. However neither have the standard of grappling to become a well rounded fighter and compete with GSP or Andy, or even Fitch, Alves, Kos, Hendo, Nate and Maia. And that is ignoring the notoriously one dimensional Semtex as well as the UK card mainstays like Kelly, Taylor and Etim or UK HW cans like Al-Turk, Grove and Thompson. Even McSweeney who is in a quality camp in Jackson’s Submission Wrestling is well behind his teammates in terms of grappling skills.
Unless a British fighter moves to the US at a young age like Wilks, moves to a top camp like McSweeney or does a GSP and learns wrestling from scratch by training with the best then British MMA will always be limited to kickboxers with decent ground games who can’t compete with true mixed martial artists because it is so much more difficult to be taught wrestling, judo and BJJ here.
by David W-S on Oct 26, 2009 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe Yushin could learn some life skills and how to handle defeat from BJ Penn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Spyder on Oct 26, 2009 9:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I can’t believe Okami lost that terribly. I’ve always thought that he was the most underrated fighter in the UFC for his weight class. He’ll definitely need to re-work his game before fighting again.
by Vic De Zen on Nov 2, 2009 11:17 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
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