Anderson and Okami / Photo: publicity
UFC president Dana White confirmed in this Wednesday’s issue of USA Today that Anderson Silva will face Yushin Okami this August 27 at UFC Rio.
The news was announced first by Rodrigo Minotauro via his column in Brazilian newspaper Extra. On the same day GRACIEMAG.com confirmed that Anderson had indeed accepted the challenge, although he had not yet signed the bout agreement.
Now, regardless of any contract, the fight has been set in stone by Dana White. Thus the showdown with George Saint-Pierre Dana White himself had mentioned has now been scrapped.
Currently the best Japanese fighter in the UFC, Okami is coming off three wins in the organization, the last of which was against Nate Marquardt. To add further intrigue to the impending matchup, Okami was the last man to defeat the “Spider,” at the January 2006 Rumble on the Rock event, where an illegal upkick from Silva ended the bout via disqualification.
Also regarding Silva, “Like Water,” a documentary covering the champion’s preparations for his title defense against Chael Sonnen, has already begun to be advertised. The movie directed by Pablo Croce includes scenes from the fighter’s daily life.
It is set to premier April 21 at the Tribeca Festival. Check out an excerpt from the documentary, in the following video: