Looks like UFC Japan is on
Japanese middleweight contender Yushin Okami (26-6 MMA, 10-3 UFC) will finally get a home game.
UFC executives today announced that the recent title challenger faces Tim Boetsch (14-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at UFC 144.
Featuring a lightweight title contest between current champ Frankie Edgar and top contender Ben Henderson, UFC 144 takes place Feb. 26 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Boetsch looks to remain perfect at middleweight after notching 185-pound victories over Nick Ring and Kendall Grove. "The Barbarian" is 6-1 in his past seven overall fights, but a November 2010 loss to Phil Davis encouraged Boetsch to drop from the light heavyweight division.
The bout with Okami marks Boetsch's first-ever contest outside of the U.S.
Meanwhile, Okami fights for the first time since an August loss to UFC champion Anderson Silva in his native Brazil. The second-round defeat marked Okami's first-ever shot at the UFC belt and ended a three-fight win streak that included victories over Nate Marquardt, Mark Munoz and Lucio Linhares.
The fight is Okami's first in his native Japan since a June 2006 win over Izuru Takeuchi, which took place before Okami joined the UFC.
Source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/26104/yushin- ... -japan.mma