411 MMA Fact or Fiction 1.07.08: Okami Deserves a Title Shot, Sakuraba Calling it a Career, Gomi's Future, Aoki vs. Penn, and MORE!

Posted by Jeremy Lambert on 01.07.2009

Does Yushin Okami deserve a title shot before Thales Leites? Does Shinya Aoki have the best chance at defeating BJ Penn? Are Takanori Gomi's best days behind him? 411 writers Adam Tool and Jeffrey Harris debate those topics and more in this weeks edition of 411 MMA Fact or Fiction.

After a week off due to medical suspension, I'm back and ready for more action than Josh Koscheck. It's a big MMA month with two UFC events, a WEC event, and an Affliction event but it's Japan that dominates this weeks Fact or Fiction.

Squaring off this week we have the Fighter of the Month every month in book and the man who is always in his Fightin' Stance, Adam Tool. His opponent usually makes his home in the Movies/TV Zone but still enjoys two guys in shorts punching each other in the face just as much as the rest of us. He is "The Vile One" he is Jeffrey Harris.

In the words of John McCarthy…LET'S GET IT ON!

1. Jorge Santiago is the best Middleweight not in the UFC.

Jeffrey Harris: FICTION. Umm, hello? His name is King Mo! I kid, I kid. I mean, the streak of wins Jorge Santiago has put together since going to Sengoku have been very impressive. He's shown to be a slick submission specialist. And now he's the first Sengoku Middleweight Champion. While in the UFC he wasn't quite as impressive. But would he be able to show this new awesomeness if he returned to the UFC? Also besides Santiago, you still have people like Robbie Lawler and Matt Lindland to consider. And Lindland is about to face former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Vitor Belfort at the next Affliction event. Also Gegard Mousasi. While I think Santiago should maybe considered in the top 10 rankings, I don't quite think he can be called best not in the UFC

Adam Tool: FICTION. I'm going to give that distinction to Robbie Lawler. However, I might be willing to name Santiago the best middleweight in Japan. I'd love to see him mix it up with Gegard Mousasi, as I think that would be a fantastic match-up. Unfortunately the two fighters are with rival companies so who knows if they'll ever face off. In a perfect world they'd all be under the same company banner so we could have actual fights to determine the rankings, instead of opinions and speculation.

SCORE: 1 for 1. KING MO was the correct answer. He loves his fans. Especially in Japan.

2. Antonio Silva was smart for fighting in Japan and risking his US status rather than sitting on the sidelines.

Jeffrey Harris: FACT. Well, it keeps him fighting and earning money for one thing. Also, isn't he still banned from fighting in the US for a while due to his steroids? So for Silva and his career, it is smart at the moment. Also Sengoku as an organization is putting together some good events. My problem with Antonio is that I don't feel he is a truly skilled, impressive, or worthy fighter. Plus he cheats with steroids. It's like BJ Penn says, "anyone who uses steroids is a coward."

Adam Tool: FICTION. Especially with the news breaking on Tuesday that Silva now faces a possible license revocation in the U.S., pending his hearing on February 10th. Should "Bigfoot" lose the ability to fight in the states he'll also lose on the chance to prove himself against the best heavyweights in the world. I have no idea what Silva might've been paid for fighting at Sengoku (since Japanese promotions don't release those figures), but it was probably less than the six figures he was getting from EliteXC. Speaking of, what if EliteXC does manage a comeback? They would have to strip Silva of the heavyweight title if he can't fight in the U.S. I can understand if Silva didn't want to go without working for a year, but with the sport being regulated the way it is these days you've got to play by the rules.

SCORE: 1 for 2. Is Seth Petruzelli the Heavyweight Champion if EliteXC returns?

3. Shinya Aoki has a better chance of beating BJ Penn than any UFC Lightweight.

Jeffrey Harris: FICTION. The greatness and great thing about MMA is that the sport has been built on crazy upsets that you would never imagine happening. No fighter is unbeatable. Look at how all the whiney morons and keyboard warriors were proven wrong with Frank Mir and Nogueira. The point is, no guy no matter how awesome they look is unbeatable. People gave Forrest Griffin no chance in hell against Shogun Rua. People were shocked when Nick Diaz omoplata'ed a stunned Takanori Gomi. Or when this kid babyface BJ Penn KO'ed Caol Uno in about 11 seconds at UFC 34. You know, Kenny Florian might not be the greatest UFC Lightweight fighter ever, and while it might be impossible for him to beat Penn, I see no reason to say that Aoki has a better chance than Florian. And also, Florian is the one that's more than likely fighting Penn while Aoki/Penn has no chance in hell of happening anytime soon. So right now, that chance is in Florian's court.

Adam Tool: FACT. By answering the question this way I'm unintentionally underestimating Kenny Florian, who is the definitive #1 contender for Penn's lightweight strap. Still if I had to pick a fighter at 155 that could beat Penn, it would be Aoki. After all, Aoki is probably the only lightweight in the world that could hang with Penn on the ground. Let me be perfectly clear though, if the fight were to happen I would pick Penn to win. While their jiu-jitsu may be about equal, BJ has a clear-cut advantage in the striking and I believe that would be the difference maker.

SCORE: 1 for 3. Aoki via colorful tights.

SWEEP!!!!

4. Kazushi Sakuraba should hang up the gloves and call it a career rather than continue to risk his health.

Adam Tool: FACT. The writing is clearly on the wall. The Middleweight GP proved that Sakuraba has no real chance against the younger stars of today, and the Dynamite!! show proved that he can't even put on an exciting fight against a fellow journeyman. Sakuraba is likely one of the highest paid fighters in Japan, so it's hard to blame him for continuing to compete. That being said, his colorful personality should open up plenty of opportunities for him once he decides to hang up the gloves.

Jeffrey Harris: FACT. I mean his body isn't exactly looking to be in Bas Rutten type shape. If he doesn't retire, he also risks becoming like a sideshow freak attraction which I feel he's already in the danger of doing already.

SCORE: 2 for 4. It's almost sad to watch a legend in his current state and it's going to be a sad day with "The Gracie Hunter" finally hangs them up.

5. Yushin Okami should face Anderson Silva before Thales Leites.

Adam Tool: FACT. It was my understanding that Okami was next in line before he got injured and Patrick Cote stepped in at UFC 90. The win over Evan Tanner made Okami a legitimate contender, plus there's the added intrigue of his history with Anderson Silva. Leites has done little to impress in his UFC run, and is coming off a questionable win over Nate Marquardt and a submission victory over Drew McFedries. If the UFC wasn't so desperate for challengers at 185, I'd say throw Okami vs. Leites together and advertise it as a #1 contender fight.

Jeffrey Harris: FACT. Let's see. Okami is 7-1 in the UFC. Leites is only 6-1. I mean, I give props to Leites for not having his neck broken by a crazy, insane Nate Marquardt in his last fight, but plain and simple he is being fed to Anderson Silva. Okami's been overdue for a title shot for a longtime. Plus Okami is the last person to have a victory over the Spider, yeah even though it was a DQ. Look at what Okami had to put up with at UFC 92:



Give Okami Anderson Silva and his UFC Middleweight Title shot, and give it to Okami yesterday.

SCORE: 3 for 5. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were Okami. Isn't Fabricio Werdum still waiting for his title shot?

6. Takanori Gomi's best days are behind him and he'll never be considered a Top 5 Lightweight again.

Adam Tool: FACT. Although I hate to go one way or the other on such definitive statements. After all, there's always a chance that Gomi could get re-focused, go on a tear against top-ranked opponents, and work his way back to the top of the lightweight ranks. Let's not forget that the last time he lost two fights back-to-back was right before he entered PRIDE and went on a 10-fight win streak. At this point though, it's not very likely that Gomi will be in the upper levels of the division anytime soon. He's dropped two in a row against opponents he should've beaten. Not only that, but he's not going to find much in the way of decent competition as long as he stays put in World Victory Road since all of the other top ranked lightweights are in the UFC or DREAM. At this point it sounds like Gomi is planning to take some time off and get back to top-level training, so we'll have to wait and see if he can ever achieve mythical status once again.

Jeffrey Harris: FICTION. I say this even though it's very possible that the Gomi's best days are behind him. Fighters who had dominant runs in recent years get a string of bad losses they've never recovered from or never quite seem to be the same dominant fighters they used to be. For the Gomi, it seems like he's never quite been the same since the submission loss to Nick Diaz, which was later overturned as a NC since Diaz tested positive for the marijuana. This could be the case for Gomi. However, I say fiction because it might still be too early to say this. The Gomi is ready to re-dedicate himself to training for a while and hopefully come back better than ever. Fighters have come back from losing streaks and slumps before. It's possible. And the Gomi is still only 30 years old.

SCORE: 3 for 6. Has the "Fireball Kid" been doused for good? Only time will tell.

Tool and Harris split down the middle. Looks like we have another moneymaking rematch on our hands.

Come back next week as two more 411 writers debate the latest topics in the MMA world.