World Series of Fighting could soon add a top 10 middleweight to its roster.
A day after the UFC released former UFC title challenger and perennial contender Yushin Okami (29-8 MMA, 13-5 UFC), WSOF President Ray Sefo today expressed his interest in the fighter’s services.
“We’re in talks with his team,” Sefo today tweeted.
Mere hours after MMAjunkie.com first reported Okami’s release, WSOF matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz also reached out to Okami via Twitter and stated: “You have a home at [WSOF].”
Currently, the WSOF middleweight roster has some notable names, including David Branch, Elvis Mutapcic, Jesse Taylor and Danillo Villefort. The organization’s events air on NBC Sports Network and could soon head overseas, the organization recently announced.
While Okami’s wrestling-heavy style isn’t the fan-friendliest, there’s no denying his accomplishments. The 32-year-old Japanese vet is 3-1 in his past four fights and currently ranks No. 7 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA middleweight rankings. Although he suffered a TKO loss in his most recent bout, Okami owns wins over the likes of Hector Lombard, Alan Belcher, Nate Marquardt and Mark Munoz in recent years. Overall, he won 13 of his 18 fights during a seven-year run in the UFC, which included a failed shot at Anderson Silva’s title in 2011.
Still, it wasn’t enough for the UFC to retain his services, though UFC President Dana White hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Okami fighting his way back in the organization.
For now, though, the UFC’s loss could soon become WSOF’s gain.
For more on WSOF’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.
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