The third of seven fights on the UFC 144 card from the Saitama Super Arena saw a middleweight fight between Tim Boetsch and Yushin Okami.
The 26-6 Okami was making his first appearance in the Octagon since being dismantled by Anderson Silva at UFC 134 last August. The 14-4 Boetsch was looking to move his record to 3-0 in the middleweight division with a victory against the native Japanese fighter.
To start the fight, both men seemed tentative, but Okami looked quicker with his strikes. Okami was landing his jab at will, which really caused problems for Boetsch. Boetsch was trying everything he could to land strikes against Okami, but each time he came close, he got rocked. In the final minute of the round, Boetsch was beginning to find his range and connected with a couple solid shots to Okami, but Okami didn't seem fazed.
My scorecard: Yushin Okami, 10-9.
The start of the second round saw both men come forward, but Boetsch saw himself backed up to the cage by Okami. Two minutes into the round, Okami took Boetsch down, but the American attempted a guillotine choke. Okami alleviated some of the pressure of the choke and when he got out of the position, he was in good top position. He eventually worked to the full mount with 25 seconds left in the round to finish the fight.
My scorecard: Yushin Okami, 10-9.
Boetsch needed a knockout or submission to win this fight and went right after Okami to start the third round. Okami was retreating, but Boetsch connected at will. Boetsch landed upper cut after upper cut and finished off Okami.
Holy crap, what a comeback by Boetsch.
Official Decision: Tim Boetsch via TKO at 0:54 of the third round.
Despite the loss for Okami, it was the best two rounds he has seen during his time in the UFC. All that matters is how the fight ended, which was an amazing comeback by Boetsch. He may be the real deal at middleweight even after being dominated for 10 minutes.
To start the fight, both men seemed tentative, but Okami looked quicker with his strikes. Okami was landing his jab at will, which really caused problems for Boetsch. Boetsch was trying everything he could to land strikes against Okami, but each time he came close, he got rocked. In the final minute of the round, Boetsch was beginning to find his range and connected with a couple solid shots to Okami, but Okami didn't seem fazed.
My scorecard: Yushin Okami, 10-9.
The start of the second round saw both men come forward, but Boetsch saw himself backed up to the cage by Okami. Two minutes into the round, Okami took Boetsch down, but the American attempted a guillotine choke. Okami alleviated some of the pressure of the choke and when he got out of the position, he was in good top position. He eventually worked to the full mount with 25 seconds left in the round to finish the fight.
My scorecard: Yushin Okami, 10-9.
Boetsch needed a knockout or submission to win this fight and went right after Okami to start the third round. Okami was retreating, but Boetsch connected at will. Boetsch landed upper cut after upper cut and finished off Okami.
Holy crap, what a comeback by Boetsch.
Official Decision: Tim Boetsch via TKO at 0:54 of the third round.
Despite the loss for Okami, it was the best two rounds he has seen during his time in the UFC. All that matters is how the fight ended, which was an amazing comeback by Boetsch. He may be the real deal at middleweight even after being dominated for 10 minutes.
For more UFC 144 coverage and fight recaps, go here.
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Hobson Lopes has been a fan of mixed martial arts since the days of Tank Abbott and can be followed on Twitter @HobsonLopes.
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