Due to fighter injuries a new bout has been created for UFC 150 as Japanese middleweight Yushin Okami (26-7) now faces Jackson’s MMA fighter Buddy Roberts (12-2). Okami was originally slated to face Rousimar Palhares and Roberts was scheduled to fight Chris Camozzi, but due to injuries both Palhares and Camozzi have been forced to withdraw.
The newly formed matchup was confirmed by officials on UFC.com.
UFC 150 takes place on Aug. 11 at Denver’s Pepsi Center, the event will feature a headline bout between current lightweight champion Benson Henderson and challenger Frankie Edgar who will battle for the title. The main card for this event will air LIVE on PPV with the prelims expected to air on Facebook and FX.
Yushin Okami last fought at UFC 144 in February, where he was knocked out by Tim Boetsch in the third round on home soil in Japan. Prior to that Okami lost a championship bout against Anderson Silva at UFC 134, where he was also knocked out, but this time in the second round. Yushin’s most recent victory was against Nate Marquardt at UFC 122 in November 2010, where he scored a unanimous decision win which earned him a shot at the title. Okami really needs a win against Roberts to still be considered a top contender at 185 pounds.
Buddy Roberts is currently riding a six fight winning streak, most recently defeating Caio Magalhaes via unanimous decision at UFC on FX 3 in June. Prior to that Roberts had been successfully competing for various promotions on the regional circuit, beating notable fighters such as Rick Cheek, Robert Turner, and Tony Lopez. This Jackson’s MMA fighter will no doubt look to follow up his UFC debut with another solid performance against a top ten middleweight.
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