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Courtesy MMALifestyles.com
A middleweight bout has now been added for a February affair.
In the first quarter of the New Year, a major mixed martial arts event is set for the Saitama Super Arena in Japan dubbed UFC 144, which will feature a championship headliner pitting top contender Benson Henderson as he takes on lightweight kingpin Frankie Edgar for the undisputed title.
Another pivotal bout has been added to the lineup as the hardnosed Tim Boetsch meets former title challenger Yushin Okami in the wrestler’s own backyard.
Boetsch made an emphatic entrance into the 185-pound division when he dominated season three winner of The Ultimate Fighter Kendall Grove this May, deftly defeating the Hawaiian by decision.
Next, Boetsch continued his winning ways when he defeated another TUF alumnus in Nick Ring, a then undefeated Canadian prospect who was 2-0 inside the Octagon. Boetsch brutalized Ring both on the feet and on the ground, taking another lopsided division, moving one step closer towards title contention.
Okami, meanwhile, is in need of victory in order to vie for a shot at the belt once again. The perennial contender finally had his chance to challenge Anderson Silva for the 185-pound belt, however fell short when the Brazilian bested Okami en route to a second round TKO finish—the first time Okami has been finished inside the Octagon.
The loss snapped a three fight win streak for the Team Quest product, who will now venture back to his native Japan in hopes to secure a victory over the rising star. The winner of this bout will automatically inject themselves back into contender status.
