Mauricio Rua forced out of UFC Fight Night 117 main event, Yushin Okami fills in against Ovince Saint Preux

With less than a week before UFC Fight Night 117 lights up Saitama, Japan, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua has been forced out of the Sept. 22 main event with Ovince Saint Preux, per a promotional announcement made during the FOX Sports 1 broadcast of UFC Fight Night 116 earlier tonight (Sat., Sept. 16, 2017).

As a result of Rua’s injury fallout, former UFC middleweight title challenger Yushin Okami will come back to the UFC after a four-year hiatus and fill in on short notice.

Okami, 36, was released by the promotion back in 2013 after suffering a knockout loss to Ronaldo Souza. In total, the Japanese veteran left UFC behind with an impressive 13-5 record, which included key victories over notable names like Mark Munoz, Evan Tanner, Nate Marquardt, and Hector Lombard, as well as a failed middleweight title shot opposite Anderson Silva.

Okami will make his debut at light heavyweight considering the short notice.

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