UFC 92 Breakdown: The Undercard

Yushin Okami vs. Dean Lister

Yushin “Thunder” Okama Scouting Report
Height/Weight: 6’2/185 lbs.
Age: 27
Hometown: Kanagawa, Japan
Fighting out of: Tokyo
Record: 22-4

The stakes: At this point, Okami’s basically the redheaded stepchild no one talks about, especially during the holidays. Despite an impressive 6-1 mark in the Octagon, Okami’s methodical style has won him no favors. The goal of a rematch with current middleweight champion Anderson Silva does not look to be within reach, considering Okami has been slotted on the undercard of the UFC’s biggest show of 2008. Unless he can manage something spectacular, he’ll ring in 2009 no better off.

The breakdown: Although Lister’s grappling acumen is severely overstated within the context of MMA, Okami need not put himself in such peril, as his superior wrestling and underrated striking make him custom-made to give Lister fits. A good mix of his rangy jab and cardio-sapping clinch work should put Okami in prime position to dispatch Lister.

Dean “The Boogeyman” Lister Scouting Report
Height/Weight: 6’1/185 lbs.
Age: 32
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
Fighting out of: San Diego, Calif.
Record: 11-5

The stakes: Well known as a grappling guru before he ventured into MMA, Lister has since become something of a virtuoso in the submission wrestling world, while his MMA game has struggled to keep pace. What’s resulted is a fighter who typically ties substandard fighters in knots but looks like a total neophyte against opponents who have the foggiest notion of what they’re doing inside the cage. Unless Lister wants to end up being the world’s best grappler turned gatekeeper, he’d do well to throw caution to the wind against Okami.

The breakdown: The main problem with Lister is that the conservative approach that dominates high-level grappling is ill-equipped for survival in MMA. For Lister, that means either scoring a takedown or pulling guard within the first few seconds of the round and using up as much time as possible by actively sniffing out submission opportunities. Forget the striking; Lister will only get frustrated by Okami on the feet, and getting the fight to the ground is his only real hope of winning.


* * * The bottom line: While I’m dying to see more elite grapplers introduce the masses to their game, guys like Lister are simply too accustomed to the play-it-safe ethos of the grappling world; it makes for a poor mentality in MMA. As per usual, Lister will end up fumbling for takedowns while his opponent racks up points and takes advantage of his glaring deficiencies. Count on another clear-cut -- if not very exciting -- decision win for Okami.