With former world champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua forced to withdraw from next week’s UFC Fight Night main event against Ovince Saint Preux due to injury, the promotion has called on longtime contender Yushin Okami to make his return to the Octagon to battle OSP in a five-round light heavyweight bout at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
Currently sporting a four-fight winning streak, the 36-year-old Kanagawa native has a remarkable 17-1 record in Japan, and he will looking to add an 18th victory when he faces Saint Preux, who is coming off a submission win over Marcos Rogerio de Lima in April.
The victory was the No. 6-ranked Saint Preux’ eighth in the Octagon, but he will not hold a UFC experience edge over Okami, who scored 13 wins during his first stint in his promotion from 2006 to 2013, defeating the likes of Alan Belcher, Mike Swick, Evan Tanner, Mark Munoz, Nate Marquardt and Hector Lombard.