UFC Confirms Chael Sonnen v Yushin Okami Isn't Scheduled for UFC 104 PPV

Friday the UFC confirmed that the contender matchup between Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked middleweight and former WEC champ Chael Sonnen (22-10-1) and UFC contender “Thunder” Yushin Okami (23-4) is not scheduled for the pay per view broadcast of UFC 104 in Los Angeles October 24.

Slotted instead are the main event between Fighters.com and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (15-0) and sixth-ranked “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-3) and co-main event between heavyweights Cain Velasquez (6-0) and “Big” Ben Rothwell (26-6) as well as the following matchups:

Gleison Tibau (16-5) v “Dentist” Josh Neer (25-8-1)
“Daddy” Joe Stevenson (30-9) v “King” Spencer Fisher (23-4)
“Rumble” Anthony Johnson (7-2) v “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-3)

The Sonnen/Okami matchup could make the PPV broadcast if those fights run short and the Sonnen/Okami fight is both exciting and fits into the remaining time.

Okami is 7-1 in the Octagon and holds the distinction of being the only UFC fighter to hold a win over Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4), albeit by disqualification at Rumble on the Rock 8 in Honolulu in 2006.  Okami’s only loss in the UFC was a tight UD to Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) at UFC 72 in Belfast in June 2007.

Slated for the undercard with Sonnen v Okami is:

Antoni Hardonk (8-5) v “HD” Pat Barry (2-2)
“El Conquistador” Jorge Rivera (16-7) v “Rosedale Reaper” Rob Kimmons (21-4)
“Darth” Ryan Bader (7-0) v “Red” Eric Schafer (12-4-2)
Kyle Kingsbury (8-2) v Razak Al-Hassan (7-1)
Stefan Struve (13-2) v Chase Gormley (2-0)