The Ultimate Fighting Championship currently has Yushin Okami ranked at number six on their middleweight ranks but that hasn’t helped him keep his job as he was released by the company this week.
Okami joined the UFC in 2006 and holds a respectable 13-5 record. On his Twitter account, UFC President Dana White stated that Okami could see an opportunity to return in the future with a few wins but explained in depth to Kevin Iole at Yahoo! Sports why Okami had to go:
“He’s been with us forever,” said White. “He was always a tough guy and was right up there, but it’s almost like he’d become a gatekeeper. I like Okami, and you’ve heard me say this many times, that a win over Yushin Okami meant something.
“But he was never able to get over the hump and win one of those [significant] fights. We have a lot of guys coming in and I’ve been saying this all year: We have a full roster and there are guys who deserve opportunities. When you bring guys in, someone has to go. That’s why these fights are so meaningful.”
